The meeting was convened to consider the context of current control program strategies,unmet needs, and the potential role of schistosomiasis vaccines

On 12-13 March SCI Director Professor Alan Fenwick and modeller Dr Michael French travelled to Seattle for a meeting on the development of schistosomiasis vaccines and the role they could play in achieving disease elimination.

The meeting entitled 'Schistosomiasis Elimination Strategy and Potential Role of Vaccine in Achieving Global Health Goals' was co-hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the US National Institutes of Health. It brought together approximately 60 researchers, implementers, and policy-makers from around the world; all of whom had an interest in the development and potential use of schistosomiasis vaccines.

Alan Fenwick presented on the strategy, feasibility, and challenges for the global elimination strategy, with a focus on the progress of rolling out of praziquantel distribution to all those who require it in Africa and beyond.

Michael French presented on the role that mathematical modelling can play in predicting the impact of a combination of control interventions, such as mass drug administration, water and sanitation improvements, snail control, behaviour change and, potentially, vaccines. This is work that is being funded by a grant from the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.

Over the course of the two days, the meeting heard from eight or nine separate research groups from around the world who are at various stages of developing potential vaccines against schistosomiasis. This included work aimed at the three main species of schistosomes infecting humans – Schistosoma haematobium and S. mansoni (in SSA and South America) and S. japonicum (in the far east). The progress of these groups’ work ranged from the identification of potential antigens to the recent completion of Phase III trials.

By the end of the meeting there was a much wider understanding of the state of vaccine development and the role they could play; subjects that prompted passionate discussion from all sections of the schistosomiasis control community. The meeting closed with a call-to-arms from Alan Fenwick that in our push for scientific advances we cannot forget those people who are infected right now.  As a community we have unprecedented financial commitments from government agencies and funders, and unprecedented praziquantel donations from Merck Serono. Whilst new tools are always welcome in the fight, let us grasp the opportunity to transform the lives of the hundreds of millions of people infected with schistosomiasis today.