The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is a global partnership launched in 2017 to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics. BEBPA partnered with CEPI on 31 August 2021 to offer a very timely, free webinar to discuss highlights of what has been learned in the past year of extraordinary work related to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

This webinar provided an overview of the lessons learned during the process of tech transferring immunological assays to a global network of laboratories to standardize the evaluation of the immune response elicited by different SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Comparing immune responses against different vaccine candidates intended for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 is challenging. In order to reduce some of this complexity, better assess the immunological profile of each vaccine candidate, and provide robust assays for regulatory purposes, CEPI created a Centralized Laboratory Network to test the immune response elicited by different vaccine candidates.

Free access to recordings of this informative webinar are available by clicking on the buttons below:

Standardization of Immune Response Assays to Covid-19 Vaccines

A Year’s Experience Transferring to Global Network Labs

AGENDA (All times are Central European Summer Time):

SESSION 1: A Year in Review
15:30  Intro

• Laureen Little, President, BEBPA

15:45  Session Chair Introduction

• Ivana Knezevic, Team Leader, Norms and Standards for Biologicals, Quality, Safety and Standards, WHO
  Co-Lead of the Enabling Sciences SWAT team at COVAX

15:55  CEPI Introduction

• Paul Kristiansen, Head of Biological Standards & Assays, Preclinical Immunology, CEPI
  Co-Lead of the Enabling Sciences SWAT team at COVAX

16:10  Central Lab Initiative Review

• Valentina Bernasconi, Scientist, CEPI
  Project Leader of Centralized Laboratory Network

16:40  Survey Results Overview

• Arun Kumar, Scientist, CEPI
  Co-lead of Centralized Laboratory Network

17:00 – 17:15  Break

17:15  Expert Panel Discussion & Audience Q&A
Program Experts:

• Valentina Bernasconi (CEPI) – Moderator
• Mark Manak (CEPI), Pamela Proud (PHE), Luc Gagnon (Nexelis), Guruprasad Medigeshi (THSTI), Rubhana Raqib (icddr,b), Robert Bailer (Q2 Solutions), Mabel Rodriquez (UNAM), Marta Murreddu (Viroclinics), Silvia Grappi (VisMederi), Mark Page (NIBSC)

Outside Experts:

• Sian Estdale (Labcorp), Ulrike Herbrand (Charles River), Leslie Wagner (FDA)

Session 1 Panel Discussion Topic: Reviewing the Past

• What could have been done to prepare for setting up of the Network??
• What worked very well and should be kept in the future?
• What could be improved?

SESSION 2: The Future – Routine Testing

18:05  Routine Testing: CEPI Perspective

• Valentina Bernasconi, Scientist, CEPI
  Project Leader of Centralized Laboratory Network

18:30  Future Pandemics and the Clinical Trial Directive

• Bassam Hallis, Head of Pre-Clinical Dev & General Project Manager National Infection Service, Public Health England

18:50  Expert Panel Discussion & Audience Q&A

Program Experts:

• Valentina Bernasconi (CEPI) – Moderator
• Mark Manak (CEPI), Pamela Proud (PHE), Luc Gagnon (Nexelis), Guruprasad Medigeshi (THSTI), Rubhana Raqib (icddr,b), Robert Bailer (Q2 Solutions), Mabel Rodriquez (UNAM), Marta Murreddu (Viroclinics), Silvia Grappi (VisMederi), Mark Page (NIBSC)

Outside Experts:

• Sian Estdale (Labcorp), Ulrike Herbrand (Charles River), Leslie Wagner (FDA)

Session 2 Panel Discussion Topic: Moving Forward

• What’s the major bottleneck we encountered and how to solve it in the future?
• What’s the most important step the Network can take to prepare for the next emerging pathogen?

19:20  How to Become Involved

• Ana Paula De Almeida Aranha, Project Manager of Centralized Laboratory Network, CEPI

19:30  Webinar Adjourns

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