KNUST joins global consortium to advance dengue vaccine dev’t in Africa

The School of Public Health at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has joined a major international consortium seeking to accelerate the development and deployment of a new dengue vaccine in Africa, as health experts warn of the disease’s growing threat across the continent.

The initiative, known as the DENSTAR Project, will support the licensure and evaluation of DengiAll, a single-dose tetravalent live-attenuated dengue vaccine designed to protect against all four dengue virus serotypes.

The four-year project begins on June 1, 2026, and brings together universities, research institutions, regulators, biotechnology companies and non-profit organisations from Africa, Europe, Asia and North America.

Funded by the Global Health European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership 3 Joint Undertaking (GH EDCTP3 JU), with support from the European Union, the project has secured more than €11 million for research and clinical trials aimed at reducing the burden of dengue and other neglected tropical diseases.

Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease, is emerging as a growing public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, driven by climate change, rapid urbanisation and increasing insecticide resistance. While many infections are mild, severe cases can cause haemorrhage, shock, organ failure and death.

Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo, immediate past Pro Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Professor of Epidemiology and Global Health at the KNUST School of Public Health, and Scientific Project Lead for DENSTAR, said the project addresses an urgent health need.

“Dengue infections can range from mild to potentially fatal in the most severe cases. It is becoming more common in sub-Saharan Africa,” he said.

“The primary challenge of the DENSTAR project is to advance a live-attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine through controlled human infection model studies to enable its licensure in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Unlike currently available dengue vaccines, DengiAll does not require prior serological screening before administration, a feature researchers say could make it particularly suitable for low- and middle-income countries where access to diagnostic testing remains limited.

The consortium comprises ten institutions across nine countries, including KNUST; Panacea Biotec Limited in India; the University of Siena in Italy; Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg in Germany; Johns Hopkins University and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the United States; the International Vaccine Institute in South Korea; Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné in Gabon; Instituto Nacional de Saúde in Mozambique; and the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale du Zaire in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Under the project, Phase I and Phase III clinical trials will be conducted among healthy African adults and children to assess the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. Researchers will also carry out Controlled Human Infection Model (CHIM) studies to evaluate protection against Dengue Virus Serotype 4 (DENV-4), a strain for which no dengue vaccine has yet demonstrated proven efficacy.

DENSTAR Coordinator, Deputy Rector of the University of Siena and Chief Scientific Officer of the Sclavo Vaccines Association, Professor Donata Medaglini, described the collaboration as a landmark public-private partnership.

“DENSTAR is a unique consortium that concentrates international excellence in vaccine research, development, manufacture and clinical trials. By uniting top experts from academia, industry and non-profit organisations, we are forging a true public-private partnership to bridge critical gaps in dengue prevention,” she said.

She said making an effective dengue vaccine available in Africa would represent a major step towards improving health outcomes and supporting healthier, more productive lives across the continent.

Chief Scientific Officer of Panacea Biotec Limited, Dr Khalid Ali Syed, said the project could have a lasting impact on global public health by reducing dengue infections, improving quality of life and easing pressure on healthcare systems.

Professor Owusu-Dabo said KNUST was honoured to host the Phase III clinical trial component of the project, describing the university’s participation as further evidence of its growing role in global health research.

He said KNUST’s involvement reflects its commitment to generating robust scientific evidence to support the safe and effective use of the DengiAll vaccine across Africa.

Source: Citi News