Dr Roger Prichard together with Dr Vidadi Yusibov, Fraunhofer USA Inc., Center for Molecular Biotechnology, Newark, Delaware, USA, and Dr George Lubega, Makerere University, were recently awarded $1.2 million by the Gates foundation as part of a 2 year study towards the development of a vaccine against African trypanosomiasis.
The grant entitled “Pre-clinical assessment and identification of target antigens for developing efficacious and cost-effective vaccine to prevent African trypanosomiasis” will involve both in vitro work and vaccination studies in mice and cattle.
If the work proves successful in mice and cattle, consideration will be given to developing a vaccine.
African Trypanosomiasis is a major disease of livestock and humans in sub-Saharan Africa. In cattle the disease is known as Nagana and in humans Sleeping Sickness.
Because of developing drug resistance, these diseases have become more pressing in recent years.
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