Call for nominations for experts to serve on a Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization Working Group on COVID-19 Vaccines and Vaccination
A call for nominations for experts to serve on a Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization Working Group on COVID-19 Vaccines and Vaccination has been posted on the SAGE website: https://www.who.int/immunization/policy/sage/en/
This SAGE working group will be set up with the aim of establishing an independent process through SAGE to advise WHO and its Member States on the use of initially pre-licensed vaccines, followed by updates as additional information on product use becomes available. The timeliness of setting up this group will ensure a coordinated approach with the vaccine Research and Development (R&D) community, in order to accelerate timelines and maximize global efforts to make evidence-informed policy decisions for the best use of a vaccine against COVID-19. The ultimate goal of a vaccine against COVID-19 is to rapidly contain the pandemic, save lives, protect health care systems, and restore global economies.
The SAGE Working Group is established with a program of work to:
(1) Provide continuous review of the available evidence on the progress of candidate vaccines against COVID-19, and provide regular updates to SAGE;
(2) Provide guidance for the development of prediction models to determine the optimal age groups and target populations for vaccine introduction and guide vaccine introduction for optimal impact, and contribute to updates of target product profiles of vaccines for outbreak and for endemic use;
(3) Prepare policy advice to SAGE on the accelerated use of vaccines (pre-licensure and post-licensure) to mitigate the public health impact of COVID-19, to possibly curtail the ongoing pandemic, as well as to prevent or reduce the risk of spread of disease in the future. This will include recommendations for early allocation of vaccines when vaccine supply is still limited;
(4) Provide guidance to ensure equitable access to vaccination, and guidance on the safety of vaccines when safety data from wider population use become available, in close collaboration with Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS).
SA AIDS Conference - HIV and COVID-19, 9-10 June 2021
The virtual conference will be held in the evenings from 16:00 – 20:00 over 2 days. We will invite renown local, regional and international speakers from the HIV community to discuss and debate the impact COVID-19 has had on the South African and regional HIV epidemic. The speakers will reflect on progress made in the HIV response in the context of COVID-19, the impact the pandemic has had on people living with HIV and on HIV/TB service delivery. We will also touch on COVID-19 vaccines in people living with HIV.
SA AIDS in-person Conference 2022
The in-person conference will be postponed to 2022 when we hope we will be able to host the conference in Durban.
For more information visit http://saaids.co.za/
Michelson Prizes 2021
The Michelson Prizes are annual awards of $150,000, which support young investigators under the age of 35 who are using disruptive concepts and inventive processes to significantly advance human immunology and vaccine and immunotherapy discovery research for major global diseases. The Prizes are funded by the Michelson Medical Research Foundation and overseen by the Human Vaccines Project -- the application window for the 2021 Prizes will run from April 1 – June 18, 2021.
The 2021 Michelson Prizes will be looking for research proposals in two areas:
• Human Immunology and Vaccine Research: The committee will be looking for research aimed at tackling the current roadblocks that exist in human vaccine development and expanding our limited understanding of key immune processes that are fundamental to successful vaccine and immunotherapy development.
• Climate Change and Human Immunology: The committee is looking for research that expands our understanding of the potential effects of climate change on immune function with a particular interest in research that will directly translate into vaccine and immunotherapy development to mitigate its impact.
The selection committee will be looking to support research that is both highly innovative and has the potential for high impact. Specifically, projects should propose innovative ideas and approaches that can be applied across many disease areas and states. Projects should have the potential to significantly expand our understanding of the human immune system and accelerate the development of vaccines and immunotherapies.
While the Michelson Prizes are focused on research in the fields of immunology, vaccine and immunotherapy discovery, applicants from the full spectrum of related disciplines, including clinical research, biochemistry, molecular biology, protein engineering, computer science, artificial intelligence/machine learning, biophysics, environmental health, nanotechnology, etc., are encouraged to apply.
Additional info can be found at https://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/michelsonprizes/
Wellcome Trust Research Update - September 2020
Please take note below of Wellcome Trust’s (UK) webinar on tips for applying to their International Masters, Training and Intermediate Fellowships. The next due dates for applications are: