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About the Speaker:
Program in Emerging Infectious
Diseases (EID)
“Human challenge studies: new
opportunities for Singapore”
By Dr Annelies Wilder-Smith
MD PhD DTM&H MIH FAMS FACTM
Abstract :
Human challenge studies have a long and illustrious history of
advancing understanding of the pathogenesis, management and
prevention of infectious diseases (Pollard, Savulescu et al. 2012).
The fundamental scientific value of being able to control the
nature and timing of infection and interventions in well
characterized human subjects remain unchanged, but is now
greatly enhanced by advances in areas such as functional
genomics, microbiomics, systems biology, and pharmacokinetics
and pharmacodynamics.
Human challenge studies are an important strand of much current
research, particularly in the development of vaccinations.
Research into malarial vaccines is a good example, where the
detailed study of both the clinical and immune responses of
healthy volunteers to inoculation with candidate vaccines,
followed by challenge with the infective organism, is proving an
important approach to developing what is hoped will be an
effective vaccine.
Human challenge studies are becoming a core methodology in
modern infectious diseases research, and is a methodology in
which Singapore can excel, offering a unique platform in Asia for
step-changes in understanding of disease pathogenesis and
diagnostics, and for testing new therapeutics and vaccines. We
plan to provide a short overview of human challenge studies,
describe some influenza related challenge studies and the first
publication on dengue challenge studies.
Annelies
Wilder-Smith
is
Consultant
and
Associate
Professor in the Department of
Medicine, NUHS and holds a joint
academic position with the
Emerging Infectious Diseases
Program at Duke-NUS.
Her special interest is in dengue,
in particular dengue vaccine
development. She was the PI for
the Phase 2b chimeric dengue
vaccine
trial
at
NUHS.
Furthermore, she co-led the
community based intervention trial
with chloroquine for the prevention
of influenza (CHIP trial).
Currently, Annelies is the Principal
Investigator and Director of a 5.6
million Euro grant by the
European Commission on dengue
(www.denguetools.net).
All are welcome
Date : March 7, 2013 (Thursday)
Time : 3.00 – 4.00 pm
Host : Dr Manoj N Krishnan
Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases
Venue : Duke-NUS, Amphitheatre, 2nd Floor
.
Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 8 College Road, S169857. For more information, please visit our website www.duke-nus.edu.sg