Pentavalent meningococcal vaccine in pregnant women in Africa
Official title: Planning grant to evaluate the use of pentavalent meningococcal vaccine in pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa
Funded at University of Maryland Baltimore · NIH-11257802 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A plan to study how safe and immune-boosting the MenFive vaccine is when given to pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maryland Baltimore NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | August 20, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $233,250 |
| NIH project number | 1R34AI195140-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11257802 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa who are eligible according to the protocol.
✕Less likely to help
Pregnant women who do not participate or who do not meet eligibility may not benefit from the study.
What this research studies
This project will develop a Phase 4 protocol to test the MenFive pentavalent meningococcal vaccine in pregnant women in Africa, including safety monitoring and immunogenicity assessments. A multidisciplinary team will design the protocol, determine how many participants are needed, and lay out recruitment, procedures, and data analysis plans. The study aims to generate data that can support vaccine uptake and implementation during pregnancy in the region.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the study could provide crucial safety and immune response data to support vaccinating pregnant women against meningococcal disease in Africa.
How similar studies have gone: Related vaccine studies in pregnancy have established safety monitoring frameworks, but this specific pentavalent vaccine in this population is new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Maryland Baltimore
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chen, Wilbur H. — University of Maryland Baltimore
- Study coordinator: Chen, Wilbur H.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.