• Prossy Naluyima, Betty Mwesigwa, Allan Tindikahwa, Stephen Mugamba, Jude Thaddeus Ssensamba, Ezra Musingye, Grace Mirembe, Hannah Kibuuka, and Fred Wabwire-Mangen.
• Makerere University Walter Reed Project.
• Afr Health Sci. 2022 Aug 1; 22 (Spec Issue): 34-41.

IntroductionInfectious diseases and neglected tropical diseases continue to be a major challenge in resource limited settings, causing significant morbidity and mortality. Although vaccines are a key biomedical prevention tool, resource limited settings often lack the infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and skilled human resource to conduct vaccine clinical trials. To address this gap, the Makerere University Walter Reed Project (MUWRP) was established and has contributed to vaccine research in Uganda and globally.MethodsThis was achieved through training a strong vaccine clinical trial workforce; development of requisite clinical trial infrastructure for research activities and management of investigational products; conducting phase I-III vaccine trials and contribution to national ethical and regulatory frameworks that protect participants.ResultsAs of 2022, MUWRP had successfully conducted and completed five phase I/II HIV vaccine clinical trials, five for Ebola and Marburg, while one phase I/II Schistosomiasis and one phase III COVTD-19 vaccine clinical trial are ongoing.DiscussionThe completed vaccine trials provided critical scientific knowledge on the safety and immunogenicity of investigational products which informed the design of better vaccines for diseases of global health importance.ConclusionAcademia, through establishment of appropriate partnerships can contribute to the identification of solutions to complex public health challenges.© 2022 Naluyima P et al.

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