MUJHU Research Collaboration

Vaccines in Pregnancy and Infancy: National Stakeholders Meeting
2023-05-12 07:45 - 13:00 UTC
The Makerere University-Johns University Research Collaboration (MU-JHU) in partnership with St Georges University London (SGUL) is inviting you to a special stakeholder meeting to discuss current study findings and future vaccine research in pregnant women and infants in Uganda.
The investigators will present updates on current studies within the portfolio and proposed vaccine and observational studies. You will be given an opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues related to vaccination in pregnancy and infancy.
Several studies have been underway with your support since 2018 to set the scene for maternal and infant vaccine clinical trials in Uganda. These include:

The PROGRESS study, to determine the incidence of Group B Streptococcal disease (GBS), colonization and neurodevelopmental impairment following infant disease. This study also includes a comprehensive overview of other pathogens that cause disease in the first months of life for which vaccines are or will soon be available to be given to pregnant women or their infants. This study will complete follow up in September 2023.
The WOMANPOWER study, to determine the safety and efficacy of a pertussis-containing vaccine (TDaP) given to pregnant women living with HIV. This study has completed and interim results are available.
The PREPARE studies: This includes the development of a pregnancy exposures registry and background rates of adverse events in sentinel sites that has also been used to monitor adverse events in pregnancy and infancy during the COVID-19 pandemic (periCOVID study). Pfizer Multivalent CPS-conjugate vaccine trial in pregnant HIV-infected and uninfected women investigating the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine in pregnant women and the subsequent transfer of vaccine induced antibodies to their infants. Minervax GBS vaccine trial in pregnant HIV-infected and uninfected women investigating the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine in pregnant women and the subsequent transfer of vaccine induced antibodies to their infants. This programme of work also includes a large component of vaccine hesitancy work. Updates will be presented on progress to date.

We will also take the opportunity to update you on upcoming studies within the portfolio and seek your input. These include:

Measles remains a common cause of morbidity and mortality in infants under five years worldwide, with occurrence substantially noted in regions with low vaccination rates. While it is generally believed infants are protected by maternal antibodies for 6-9 months, an over representation of infants under 6 months has been shown in recent outbreaks. Vaccination of infants earlier than the standard 9months with a booster dose may confer protection to these children earlier.BoostME trial: Earlier prime-boost schedule to improve measles protection in
high burden settings.
A study to investigate risk factors that could be incorporated into routine care to prevent severe infant infection in the first days of life.The studies are conducted at the Several KCCA facilities including Kawempe National Referral Hospital, Kisenyi health centre IV, Kawala and Komomboga and others by investigators from MU-JHU and SGUL through the EDCTP, Medical Research Council and Bill and Belinda Gates Foundation funding.

Session facilitators

Prof. Kirsty Le Doare
Dr. Eve Nakabembe
Dr. Robert Mboizi
Dr. Solomon Kamurari
Dr. Hannah Davis
Dr. Ouma Joseph
Dr. Geoff Kitson
Dr. Mary Kyohere
Dr. Alexander Amone
Dr. Gerald Businge
Dr. Lauren Hookham
Dr. Agnes Ssali
Victoria Nambasa
Anthony Ssebagereka
Esther Imede
Sarah Sturrock
Phiona Nalubega
Ritah Namugumya

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88596947058?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 885 969

Workshop on Funding Opportunities
2023-03-24 09:00 - 10:30
Please follow this link to register attendance: https://forms.gle/S7UrXGnSSZ76NinY8

IMPAACT 2036 REGIONAL TRAINING- BY INVITATION ONLY
2023-03-16 08:00 - 2023-03-17 16:30 | MUJHU Research Collaboration, Mulago, Kampala, Uganda
Poster- IMPAACT Training Poster

SHINE Trial Results Dissemination Meeting
2022-07-06 08:00 - 12:00
The SHINE Trial Stakeholders Dissemination Meeting
Treatment length reduced for children with Tuberculosis
The SHINE trial exploring the effectiveness of tuberculosis (TB) treatment in children has led to a change in the World Health Organisation’s global guidelines for managing the disease. The research found that the treatment duration for the majority of children with drug-sensitive tuberculosis can be shortened from six to four months, thereby reducing the burden on families and healthcare systems around the world.
Lead Investigator at the Ugandan site, Dr. Eric Wobudeya will be meeting with the scientific community in Uganda to share the details of the study and discuss the implications [date and time of meeting to be announced] .
Researchers from the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL worked with partners in Uganda, South Africa, Zambia and India on the SHINE study, the first randomised control trial to assess whether children with ‘minimal’ TB could be effectively treated with a shorter course of treatment.
The trial involved 1,204 children aged from two months up to 16 years with non-severe TB, who were divided randomly into two groups to take either four or six months of treatment with anti-TB medicines. Of the enrolled children, 11% were living with HIV. All children were followed for 18 months after enrolment to see whether their treatment had been successful.
The results clearly showed that children who received the shorter course did as well as those on the standard six-month treatment, regardless of the age group, country or HIV status, with few and similar side effects in both groups.
The World Health Organisation Guidelines Development Group reviewed the evidence from SHINE and recommended in August 2021 that presumed drug susceptible TB, a four-month regimen should be used rather than the standard six-month regimen in children and adolescents with non-severe.
Important considerations about how to determine eligibility for the shorter treatment regimen will be described in WHO’s full consolidated guidelines coming out in 2022 and in the operational handbook.

About SHINE
The SHINE trial was funded by the Joint Global Health Trials scheme, including the Department for Health and Social Care, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. This UK-funded award is part of the EDCTP2 Programme supported by the European Union.
Additional partners included Stellenbosch University, South Africa; University of Cape Town, South Africa; National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, India; Radboud University Medical Center, the Netherlands; International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, France; University of Melbourne, Australia; University of York; Imperial College London and University Hospitals Birmingham.

About MU-JHU Care Ltd
MU-JHU Care LTD is an HIV research, care prevention and training facility located on Upper Mulago Hill in the city of Kampala. In 1988, we started as a collaboration between researchers from Makerere University and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA ( US-based researchers were originally based at Case Western Reserve University). Our initial mission was to improve the lives of families infected and affected by HIV through Research, Care and Training. Up until 2006, we operated under the name MU-JHU Research Collaboration. In the same year, we registered as a not-for-profit, entity in Uganda entitled ‘MU-JHU Care Limited’ with a continuation of the Collaboration’s vision and mission.
MU-JHU has conducted several landmark research studies, which have informed global and national policy. These studies paved the way to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission and improve maternal and paediatric HIV care. Over the last decade, MU-JHU has progressively expanded its clinical and implementation science-research portfolio to include:

Primary HIV prevention,
Tuberculosis diagnosis and management,
Paediatric neuro-development assessment and interventions,
Birth-defects surveillance,
Women’s health (including bone health and reproductive health),
The development of a maternal vaccine platform to assess Group-B Streptococcus and other promising vaccines.

MU-JHU partners with many local and international academic and clinical partners to achieve its mission building on its longstanding Clinical Research Site affiliated with Johns Hopkins University.
Notes to Editors
For more information or to speak to the researchers involved, please contact
Romana Brenda Nabbosa, T: +256 752 307 101, E: rnabbosa@mujhu.org

TB Research Dissemination Workshop
2022-06-30 09:00 - 2022-07-01 12:30
Mbarara Research Centre has extensive experience in TB research and several studies conducted within the Centre have just been completed. This workshop will provide an opportunity to review the latest studies conducted on tuberculosis by Epicentre and its partners to reduce the burden of this disease in Africa. Our Investigator and specialist on paediatric TB, Dr. Eric Wobudeya will be a part of the panel discussions during this workshop. The workshop in English only will be broadcast live on the Epicentre website.

Discover the program and the registration link below

https://epicentre.msf.org/en/news/tb-research-dissemination-workshop

Clothed With Protection
2022-05-20 14:00 - 2022-05-30 18:00 | Uganda National Cultural Centre, Kampala, Uganda
“Clothed with Protection” Art Project
Community Sensitization on the Importance of Maternity Vaccination

UK installation artist Luke Jerram is commissioning 10 young and dynamic Ugandan fashion designers in a new art project to promote vaccination in pregnant women across Africa. This collaboration is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, MU-JHU Care Ltd and funded by the IMPRINT Network.
Just as clothing protects us from the outside world, whether from extreme temperature, rain or abrasion, so vaccinations create a layer of protection from infection.
“Clothed with Protection” aims to create awareness of the benefits of vaccines given during pregnancy to reduce illness and deaths in mothers and babies. During the later stages of pregnancy, antibodies are transferred across the placenta from mother to child. The message of our project is that vaccination in pregnancy boosts this natural process, providing protection to the infant in the early weeks of life.
“Vaccines given to pregnant women are safe and protect both the mother and the newborn baby from infections during the first vulnerable months of life.” ~Dr. Chrissie Jones, University of Southampton, UK.
“Vaccination against tetanus, and COVID-19 are currently recommended during pregnancy in Uganda, and in the future, we will be able to protect against other infections that cause severe illness in babies, such as group B streptococcus” ~Dr. Mary Kyohere, MU-JHU Care Ltd- Uganda.
As a part of this art project, the public is welcomed to two community events where the public will view the final designer clothes and have a conversation with a maternal health expert. These events are a local Community Cypher on May 18th 2022 and a Fashion showcase on May 20th 2022. The events are being organised by IGC Fashion.
The selected designers have a background of creating from recycled fabric to form the astonishing apparel and other work. This organic approach will use art to communicate core maternity vaccine messages into visible impressions and stimulate conversations that will improve involvement and uptake of maternal vaccination at the local level. Through collaborating with some of the most creative people in Uganda, this artwork is an extraordinary opportunity to send a message to the world about the importance of vaccination.
“I have always wanted to work with artists in Uganda on a joint global health project and this provided the perfect opportunity to talk about vaccines”~Luke Jerram, Installation Artist
Our fashion designer lineup includes Bobbin Case, Fiona Kyama, Quill Clothing, IGC Fashion, Idah Nandyose, Kajebe Jacob Joshua, Marvin Zziwa, Msema culture, Njola Impressions and Seamline. These designers are very committed to engaging with and equipping their community, to improve their quality of life.
The body of work will also form an exhibition to tour the UK. Cinematic Media is filming the journey of this project and this film, together with the clothing and preparatory drawings will form a touring exhibition that will be presented in major museums in the UK.

Press Contacts
Blak
+256 750 893 338

Romana B. Nabbosa
+256 752 307 101

Dr. Kirsty Le Doare
+256 785 244 641

About IMPRINT Network
IMPRINT is a network focusing on maternal and neonatal immunisation, funded by the UK’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), which supports challenge-led interdisciplinary research and aims to strengthen the capacity for research and innovation within the UK and in developing countries. IMPRINT is coordinated by Network Director Prof. Beate Kampmann (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) and Co-Director Dr. Chrissie Jones (University of Southampton).
https://www.imprint-network.co.uk/
About Luke Jerram
Luke Jerram is a British installation artist. His multidisciplinary art practice involves the creation of sculptures, installations and live artworks. Living in the UK, but working internationally, Jerram creates art projects, which excite and inspire people around the world. He is currently a visiting fellow at the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, the University of the West of England, Bristol.
https://www.lukejerram.com/
