The publication was co-authored by Dr Ally Ibrahim Olotu, who was supported through TDR’s Clinical Research and Development Fellowship.
In October 2023, WHO updated its recommendation for malaria vaccines to include both the RTS,S and R21 vaccines, stating these should be used for the prevention of P.falciparum malaria in children living in malaria endemic areas. About 80% of malaria deaths in Africa are in children younger than 5 years.
One of the alumni of TDR’s Clinical Research and Development Fellowship has recently co-authored a study published in the Lancet on the R21/Matrix M vaccine. Dr Ally Ibrahim Olotu from Tanzania was part of this multicentre, double-blind randomised phase 3 trial, which further assessed the safety and efficacy of R21 in young children in four countries.
Dr Olotu giving a keynote speech at the International Malaria Course in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, in October 2023. Credit: A. Olotu
The findings showed that this vaccine was well tolerated and, given its low-cost and high efficacy, will help reduce the burden of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.
TDR’s Clinical Research and Development Fellowship (now known as the Clinical Research Leadership Fellowship) aims to develop internationally recognized clinical research leaders in low- and middle-income countries. Selected fellows are placed for 12 months in training partner organizations (pharmaceutical companies, product development partnerships or research organizations) and then receive a reintegration grant for 12 months at their home institution.
During his fellowship, Dr Olotu, now Director of Science at Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, was placed at GSK Biologicals in Belgium in 2006-2007. There, he received training on vaccinology, project management, protocol development, safety reporting and pharmacovigilance, statistical analysis and scientific writing and applied this experience to the R21 trial. He has also investigated the long-term efficacy of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine in young children.
“My fellowship funded by TDR was invaluable in giving me hands-on training to boost my skills for conducting clinical trials,” Dr Olotu said. “The opportunity to use my newly acquired skills for studies on both malaria vaccines has been especially rewarding. Tens of thousands of lives could be saved each year with the full implementation of these vaccines.”
For more information, please contact Dr Mahnaz Vahedi at vahedim@who.int.