Oxford Vaccine Group Explained

Oxford Vaccine Group
Size:200px
Formation:1994
Purpose:Research and clinical trials
Location:Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine (CCVTM), Churchill Hospital, Oxford, England
Leader Title:Director
Leader Name:Professor Andrew J Pollard
Affiliations:UKCRC registered
Num Staff:75

The Oxford Vaccine Group (OVG) is a vaccine research group within the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1994 by Professor E. Richard Moxon, was initially based at the John Radcliffe Hospital, and moved in 2003 to its current location in the Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine (CCVTM) at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England.[1] The group, led by Professor Andrew Pollard since 2001, comprises around 75 members across a number of disciplines, including consultants in paediatrics and vaccinology, clinical research fellows, research nurses, statisticians, post-doctoral laboratory scientists, research assistants and DPhil students.

OVG came to public prominence in 2020 for the vaccine it created to combat COVID-19.

Aims and background

OVG carries out research on vaccines to improve human health. It works to enhance the understanding of immunity, studies the epidemiology of infectious diseases, and conducts clinical trials into new and improved vaccines for children and adults.Research by Richard Moxon into the public health impact of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) invasive disease in the UK, and efficacy studies of the Hib conjugate vaccine in UK children, led to the founding of OVG in 1994.[2] Since then OVG has particularly specialised in research into meningococcal disease and vaccines to prevent the disease. OVG has been involved with the development of the new vaccine against MenB which was licensed in Europe in 2013.[3] [4] The Group has also carried out research on pneumococcal vaccines, typhoid vaccines and, more recently, new vaccines against Ebola.

OVG is a research group within the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Oxford. It is a UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) registered clinical trials unit working in collaboration with the Primary Care Unit Clinical Trials Unit (Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences) and the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford.[5] [6] It is also a participant in the UK Paediatric Vaccine Group (UKPVG)[7] and contributes to the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust’s tertiary Paediatric Infectious Disease and Immunology Service.[8] All OVG trials are listed on the UK Clinical Trials Gateway. OVG supports the All Trials Campaign.[9]

Professor Andrew Pollard, OVG’s Director, was appointed Chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) in March 2014.[10] Senior staff at OVG are periodically asked to give expert opinions on aspects of vaccines and infectious disease, especially meningococcal disease. For example the 2015 announcement that 14- to 18-year-olds in the UK are to be vaccinated against MenW disease,[11] and the 2012 European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommendation for approval of a new meningitis B vaccine.[12]

Research activity

Since 2001, OVG has enrolled over 12,500 adults and children into clinical trials in the Thames Valley area of England. OVG research has included:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Oxford Vaccine Group website. Retrieved 25 June 2015 . 7 November 2012 . 17 September 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160917184430/http://www.ovg.ox.ac.uk/about-us . dead .
  2. Web site: Biography of Richard Moxon, The Jenner Institute website, University of Oxford. Retrieved 25 June 2015 . 4 August 2015 . 11 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190111101906/https://www.jenner.ac.uk/jenner-researchers/researcher/richard-moxon . dead .
  3. News: Boseley . Sarah . 15 May 2008 . Meningitis B tests raise hope of vaccine . 25 June 2015 . The Guardian . 16 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150916014821/http://www.theguardian.com/society/2008/may/15/health.medicalresearch . live .
  4. News: Denis Campbell. Doctors hail meningitis vaccine 'breakthrough'. 25 June 2015. The Guardian. 16 November 2012. 22 June 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150622100744/http://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/nov/16/meningitis-vaccine-breakthrough. live.
  5. Web site: Primary Care and Vaccines Collaborative Clinical Trials Unit website. Retrieved 25 June 2015 . 4 August 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151127043034/http://www.pcvcctu.org/index.html . 27 November 2015 . dead .
  6. Web site: List of registered clinical trials units on the UK Clinical Research Collaboration website. Retrieved 25 June 2015 . 4 August 2015 . 11 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150911010102/http://www.ukcrc-ctu.org.uk/?page=Results . live .
  7. Web site: Structure . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151127021937/http://ukpvg.org/ukpvg/internet/en/index/structure.html . November 27, 2015 . June 25, 2015.
  8. Web site: Paediatric Infectious Disease and Immunology website. Retrieved 25 June 2015 . 4 August 2015 . 24 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924062508/http://www.ouh.nhs.uk/children/services/medical-services/infectious-disease.aspx . live .
  9. Web site: Oxford Vaccine Group signature on the All Trials Campaign website. Retrieved 25 June 2015 . 4 August 2015 . 20 April 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150420043129/http://www.alltrials.net/supporter-orgs/oxford-vaccine-group/ . live .
  10. Web site: Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation membership. Retrieved 25 June 2015 . 4 August 2015 . 20 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210820170926/https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation . live .
  11. Web site: March 13, 2015 . expert reaction to announcement that Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advises immunisation for 14 to 18 year-olds against meningococcal group W (MenW) disease . June 25, 2015 . Science Media Centre.
  12. Web site: November 16, 2012 . expert reaction to meningitis B vaccine recommendation . June 25, 2015 . Science Media Centre.
  13. News: Meningitis C vaccine 'wears off in early teens'. 25 June 2015. BBC News. 7 May 2010.
  14. Perrett . K. P. . Winter . A. P. . Kibwana . E. . Jin . C. . John . T. M. . Yu . L. M. . Borrow . R. . Curtis . N. . Pollard . A. J. . 2010-06-15 . Antibody Persistence after Serogroup C Meningococcal Conjugate Immunization of United Kingdom Primary‐School Children in 1999–2000 and Response to a Booster: A Phase 4 Clinical Trial . Clinical Infectious Diseases . 50 . 12 . 1601–1610 . 10.1086/652765 . 1058-4838.
  15. News: Teen jab theory over meningitis C. 25 June 2015. BBC News. 6 June 2008. 1 March 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090301153027/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7437796.stm. live.
  16. News: Fergus Walsh. I am testing new bird flu jab. 25 June 2015. BBC News. 24 May 2006.
  17. Leroux-Roels . Isabel . Van der Wielen . Marie . Kafeja . Froukje . Vandermeulen . Corinne . Lazarus . Rajeka . Snape . Matthew D. . John . Tessa . Carre . Christophe . Nougarede . Nolwenn . Pepin . Stephanie . Leroux-Roels . Geert . Hoppenbrouwers . Karel . Pollard . Andrew J. . Van Damme . Pierre . 2009 . Humoral and cellular immune responses to split-virion H5N1 influenza vaccine in young and elderly adults . Vaccine . 27 . 49 . 6918–6925 . 10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.08.110.
  18. News: Fergus Walsh. Meningitis B vaccine trials begin. 25 June 2015. BBC News. 20 October 2006. 11 January 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090111220157/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6071416.stm. live.
  19. News: Child swine flu vaccine trial results published. 25 June 2015. BBC News. 28 May 2010.
  20. News: Children respond well to swine flu vaccines, trial shows. 25 June 2015. The Guardian. 28 May 2010.
  21. News: Fergus Walsh. Ebola: New vaccine trial begins. 25 June 2015. BBC News. 6 January 2015. 6 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150106113456/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30696018. live.
  22. News: Oxford University doctors and scientists start trials for new Ebola vaccine. 25 June 2015. ITV News. 6 January 2015. 8 June 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150608235714/http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2015-01-06/oxford-scientists-start-trials-for-new-ebola-vaccine/. live.
  23. Web site: 2015-01-14 . Engagements . June 25, 2015 . TheyWorkForYou.
  24. News: Gallagher. James. 2020-07-20. Coronavirus: Oxford vaccine triggers immune response. BBC. 2020-07-21. 6 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220106071646/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53469839. live.
  25. News: Oxford University breakthrough on global COVID-19 vaccine . 23 November 2020 . Oxford University .
  26. News: Funding for new COVID-19 studies awarded to OVG's project on infectious disease immunity in children . University of Oxford, Department of Paediatrics, Level 2, Children's Hospital, John Radcliffe, Headington, Oxford, OX3 9DU . 17 April 2020.
  27. Web site: Oxford Vaccine Group . University of Oxford Medical Sciences Division . April 2014.
  28. News: Hancock . Jay . They Pledged to Donate Rights to Their COVID Vaccine, Then Sold Them to Pharma . Kaiser Health News . KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION . 25 August 2020 . 17 August 2024 . 7 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210207230036/https://khn.org/news/rather-than-give-away-its-covid-vaccine-oxford-makes-a-deal-with-drugmaker/ . live .
  29. http://www.vaccine-knowledge.info Vaccine Knowledge homepage. Retrieved 25 June 2015
  30. Web site: NHS Choices page on the MenC vaccine with external link to Vaccine Knowledge website. Retrieved 25 June 2015 . 4 August 2015 . 3 August 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150803054015/http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/pages/men-c-vaccine.aspx . live .
  31. Web site: 2024-03-20 . Td/IPV vaccine (3-in-1 teenage booster) . 2024-08-17 . nhs.uk.
  32. Web site: NHS Choices page on Vaccine Myths with external link to Vaccine Knowledge website. Retrieved 25 June 2015 . 4 August 2015 . 23 July 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150723073625/http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/myths-truths-kids-vaccines.aspx . live .
  33. News: Claire Armitstead. Roald Dahl becomes sage of US measles outbreak. 25 June 2015. The Guardian. 2 February 2015.
  34. News: Jules Montague. We should listen to Roald Dahl, not Jenny McCarthy, on vaccinating our children. 25 June 2015. The Guardian. 10 February 2015.
  35. Web site: Vaccine Safety Net: members. 3 January 2021. Vaccine Safety Net. 28 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200828154448/https://www.vaccinesafetynet.org/vsn/network. live.
  36. Web site: Pride of Britain Awards . 4 November 2021 . 20 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231020193018/https://www.prideofbritain.com/ . live .
  37. Waddington CS, et al. [http:{{Cite journal |last=Waddington |first=C. S. |last2=Walker |first2=W. T. |last3=Oeser |first3=C. |last4=Reiner |first4=A. |last5=John |first5=T. |last6=Wilkins |first6=S. |last7=Casey |first7=M. |last8=Eccleston |first8=P. E. |last9=Allen |first9=R. J. |last10=Okike |first10=I. |last11=Ladhani |first11=S. |last12=Sheasby |first12=E. |last13=Hoschler |first13=K. |last14=Andrews |first14=N. |last15=Waight |first15=P. |date=2010-05-27 |title=Safety and immunogenicity of AS03B adjuvanted split virion versus non-adjuvanted whole virion H1N1 influenza vaccine in UK children aged 6 months-12 years: open label, randomised, parallel group, multicentre study |journal=BMJ |volume=340 |issue=may27 1 |pages=c2649–c2649 |doi=10.1136/bmj.c2649 |issn=0959-8138 |pmc=2877808 |pmid=20508026 |last16=Collinson |first16=A. C. |last17=Heath |first17=P. T. |last18=Finn |first18=A. |last19=Faust |first19=S. N. |last20=Snape |first20=M. D. |last21=Miller |first21=E. |last22=Pollard |first22=A. J.}}</ref> * 2010: a study of a new quadrivalent meningococcal (MenACWY) vaccine.<ref name=OxfordTimesMenB>{{cite news|author=Reg Little|title=Never-ending war on disease|url=http://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/archive/2010/02/18/5008192.Never_ending_war_on_disease/|access-date=25 June 2015|newspaper=The Oxford Times|date=18 February 2010|archive-date=21 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721170504/https://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/archive/2010/02/18/5008192.Never_ending_war_on_disease/|url-status=live}}</ref> * 2011 onwards: Ongoing participation in an EU Childhood Life-threatening Infectious Disease Study (EUCLIDS) work package looking at genetic responses to MenC and MenB vaccines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Work packages |url=http://www.euclids-project.eu/about/work-packages |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623052022/http://www.euclids-project.eu/about/work-packages |archive-date=June 23, 2012 |access-date=June 25, 2015}}</ref> * 2011 onwards: a series of challenge studies to test new vaccines against [[typhoid]] and paratyphoid fever.

    Funding

    The OVG is funded not only by its alma mater and UK government bodies such as the Medical Research Council (MRC), National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and Public Health England (PHE),[26] but also private UK charities like the Wellcome Trust, Meningitis Research Foundation, Meningitis UK and Action Medical Research.[27]

    The group has earned attention from international funders like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), and the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as undisclosed vaccine manufacturers.

    The probable commercial success of the ChAdOx1-based AZD1222 product led the BMGF to prod the OVG into a deal with AstraZeneca under which the financial reward would be split between partners, instead of "donat(ing) the rights to its promising coronavirus vaccine to any drugmaker" in a misguided effort "to provide medicines preventing or treating COVID-19 at a low cost or free of charge." Under the extant deal, the OVG (or the trustees of Oxford University) will have another revenue stream with which to finance its activities.[28]

    Vaccine Knowledge Project

    In 2011, the group launched the Vaccine Knowledge Project, funded by the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.[29] The project website aims to provide independent, evidence-based information about vaccines and infectious diseases. The NHS Choices website lists the Vaccine Knowledge website as a recommended external link on several of its pages.[30] [31] [32] The website has also been referenced in the national media in the UK, particularly during the 2014-15 US measles outbreak originating in Disneyland California.[33] [34] The project is a member of the Vaccine Safety Net.[35]

    Awards

    In November 2021 the team were awarded a Pride of Britain Award for their work on the COVID-19 vaccine.[36]

    External links

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Oxford Vaccine Group".

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