Vaccination responses in infants is a critical area of research, particularly in Africa, where vaccines demonstrate lower immunogenicity and efficacy compared to high-income countries. This issue is highlighted in oral vaccine formulations, putting infants at disproportionate risk. Specifically, there is a gap in understanding how factors like early-life infections and microbiota dynamics affect immune responses in infants. This, in turn, hinders efforts to optimize vaccines for populations most vulnerable.

To address this challenge, a Stanford team will investigate how early-life infections and intestinal dysfunction shape immune development and gut microbiota in infants in East Africa, causing inflammatory responses that may impair vaccine outcomes. The team includes Dr. Florian Bach, PhD, a Stanford postdoctoral scholar of infectious diseases, Dr. Ami Bhatt, MD, PhD, professor of medicine (hematology) and of genetics, and Dr. Prasanna Jagannathan, MD, associate professor of medicine (Infectious Diseases) and of microbiology and immunology. Researchers will analyze the plasma and stool from two birth cohorts in clinical trials in Uganda and Kenya.

By examining these cohorts through machine learning techniques, the team will identify predictive markers of vaccine responsiveness and efficacy, ultimately contributing to evidence-based improvements in immunization strategies. This research has the potential to inform better vaccine design and immunization strategies, paving the way for improved public health outcomes in regions with high disease burdens in East Africa and globally.

Bach, Bhatt, and Jagannathan’s work forms part of the newly formed Early Life Immunity in Africa (ELIA) consortium. “This effort brings together clinicians and researchers from six countries to leverage high-dimensional and omics data to better understand immune system development in African infants,” said Bach.

Principal Investigators:
Florian Bach, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar, Infectious Diseases
Ami Bhatt, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine (Hematology) and of Genetics
Prasanna Jagannathan, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and of Microbiology and Immunology

Research Team:
Stephen Allen, MB ChB, MRCP(UK), DTM&H, MD, Professor of Paediatrics at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Lead investigator of PROSYNK, ELIA founding member

Funder:
Stanford King Center on Global Development and Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health