title: The Ebola Vaccine Team B: a model for promoting the rapid development of medical countermeasures for emerging infectious disease threats.
abstract: In support of accelerated development of Ebola vaccines from preclinical research to clinical trials, in November, 2014, the Wellcome Trust and the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota established the Wellcome Trust-CIDRAP Ebola Vaccine Team B initiative. This ongoing initiative includes experts with global experience in various phases of bringing new vaccines to market, such as funding, research and development, manufacturing, determination of safety and efficacy, regulatory approval, and vaccination delivery. It also includes experts in community engagement strategies and ethical issues germane to vaccination policies, including eight African scientists with direct experience in developing and implementing vaccination policies in Africa. Ebola Vaccine Team B members have worked on a range of vaccination programmes, such as polio eradication (Africa and globally), development of meningococcal A disease vaccination campaigns in Africa, and malaria and HIV/AIDS vaccine research. We also provide perspective on how this experience can inform future situations where urgent development of vaccines is needed, and we comment on the role that an independent, expert group such as Team B can have in support of national and international public health authorities toward addressing a public health crisis.
authors.affiliation: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. Electronic address: mto@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Osterholm
authors.affiliation: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Kristine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ostrowsky
authors.affiliation: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimball-Baker
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Farrar
mesh_terms: D026683:Advisory Committees; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000517:prevention & control*; D046129:Ebola Vaccines; D014943:Global Health; D006291:Health Policy; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs; D055818:Public-Private Sector Partnerships; D014611:Vaccination / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D046129:Ebola Vaccines