The Partners
TOVA Initiative represents a collaborative effort between a team of experienced investigators who have been working together on river blindness for 30 years. These investigators are supported by young scientists with expertise ranging from mathematical modelling, through immunology, proteomics and genomics, vaccinology and product development to clinical practice. TOVA Initiative will adopt the Product Development Partnership (PDP) approach used by the Sabin PDP for accelerating the development of new vaccines for global health.
| Name | Participant’s organization, country | Role in the Partnership |
|---|---|---|
| The partners from Africa | ||
| Prof Samuel Wanji | University of Buea, Cameroon Research Foundation in Tropical Disease and Environment | Human studies in Cameroon |
| Dr Vincent Tanya | Cameroon Academy of Sciences | Screening vaccine candidates in the O ochengi cow model |
| Dr Alex Debrah | Kwame Nkrumah University, Ghana | Human studies in Ghana |
| The partners from Europe | ||
| Prof David W Taylor | University of Edinburgh, UK | Co-ordinator of the EU consortium. Vaccine development and human studies in Cameroon |
| Dr Ben Makepeace |
University of Liverpool, UK | Proteomic and genomic analyses and vaccine development. Screening vaccine candidates in the O ochengi cattle model. Host gene expression profile analysis |
| Dr Simon Babayan | University of Glasgow, UK | Filarial immunology, vaccine development and screening vaccine candidates in the L sigmodontis mouse model |
| Dr Coralie Martin | Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France | Screening vaccine candidates in the L sigmodontis mouse model. Host gene expression profile analysis |
| Prof Achim Hoerauf | University Hospital of Bonn, Germany | Immunology of filarial infections and human studies in Ghana. Host gene expression profile analysis |
| Prof María Gloria Basáñez | Imperial College London, UK | Mathematical modelling and cost-effectiveness |
| The partners from USA | ||
| Dr Sara Lustigman | New York Blood Center, NYC, USA | Program Director of the NIH funded consortium. Human studies in Cameroon, characterization of vaccine candidates |
| Prof David Abraham | Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA | Screening vaccine candidates in the PA, USA O volvulus mouse model |
| Prof Thomas Klei | Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA | Screening vaccine candidates in the Brugia malayi-jird model |
| Prof Maria Elena Bottazi Prof Peter Hotez |
National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, and Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, USA | Product development, technology transfer for cGMP manufacture and GLP toxicology testing, regulatory filing, early stage clinical testing |
| Dr Darrick Carter | PAI Life Sciences Seattle, WA | Product development, cGMP manufacture |