Two Key Themes
1) Mitigating Need
Mitigate need for cold-chain by integrating new technologies from biomedical science for improved needs forecasting, digital tracking and accountability for vaccine waste reduction and cold-chain efficiency analyses, concomitant vaccination scheduling for more efficient vaccination policy, and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s or drones) for improved vaccine security and equitable access to new mRNA technologies.
2) Whole-System Network
Develop vaccine cold chain ‘whole-system’ network analyses and the use of digital twins for virtual stress testing preparedness for future threats and solutions, especially for new mRNA vaccine and climate change
Where are we now?
Rwanda Vaccine Cold Chain (VCC) modelling project
Analysis of electronic healthcare records in train
VaccMap
Study Closed
The primary aim is to assess and evaluate the deployability and utility of digital-tracking and accountability software, as developed by project partners Circulor, to accurately track the end-to-end journey throughout the supply chain to the level of a fraction of vial (or dose) when administered to patients.
These data will have direct relevance for Rwanda and other African countries and fits into a wider programme of joint research activity between ACES and RBC that looks to develop the ‘next-generation’ vaccine cold-chain systems that afford long-term reliability, sustainability and social/economic value for the future.
VaccAir
RNEC approved - study to commence this summer
This project aims to understand the role of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or drones) in the supply of vaccines to rural communities in Africa, and whether this approach can support improved vaccine security and access to new mRNA vaccine products.
This is a prospective, multi-centre, case-use study of a ‘just-in-time’ model of vaccine supply by UAV and whether this approach can overcome key strategic limitations associated with reliance on grid electivity and static cold-chain equipment.
These data will have direct relevance for Rwanda and other African countries, and fits into a wider programme of joint research activity between ACES and RBC that looks to develop the ‘next-generation’ vaccine cold-chain systems that afford long-term reliability, sustainability and social/economic value for the future.
EbolaCov
RNEC pending - study to commence this summer.
This is a single-centre, randomized, single-blinded, vaccine safety and immunogenicity study in healthy adults living in Rwanda. The EbolaCov trial aims to inform whether the Ebola vaccine rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP can be administered concurrent to a BioNTech – Pfizer COVID-19 booster dose without an unacceptable increase in reactogenicity and/or loss of humoral immunogenicity to Ebola vaccine antigen.
Point of care lateral flow test
Development for real-time identification of measles vaccine and hepatitis B vaccine need – measles project with MHRA stage and aim to working prototypes by this summer
Immune diagnostics clinical evaluation platform study
Set-up and delivered a new study on the cooling needs that underpin security for national diagnostic and pathogen surveillance capacity
Next Steps
Our next phase of work will expand to include:
Set-up and build phase 1 of “SERVICE” – a new software platform to map vaccine stock inventories to the VCC infrastructure: for metrics on energy efficiency and resilience as well as excess consumption (waste). RBC DG confirms it should become ‘standard business’ for Health Centres.
Setup and start of antibody microarray evaluation – tests for immunity gaps across the whole vaccine target range to reduce waste and transition to UAV delivery.
Establish an African Vaccine Centre of Excellence – to include complete initial scoping exercise for expansion of the work through the SPOKES network.
