2023 Annual Report

It is a pleasure to present the SATVI 2023 Annual Report, which showcases the breadth and depth of achievements of a truly amazing SATVI Team, whether in the laboratory, in the clinic, or in the community.

It has never been clearer that SATVI is part of a global effort to Stop TB through development and testing of new TB vaccines by multiple stakeholders. For the first time, there is a palpable sense of excitement in our field at the start of a Phase 3 licensure trial of the leading candidate TB vaccine M72/AS01E, for which results may be available within the next five years. Meanwhile, the results of efficacy trials of BCG revaccination for Prevention of Infection (POI) and H56:IC31 for Prevention of Recurrence (POR) indications will challenge our resilience and ability to learn from disappointing findings. Other efficacy trials have already started, including an infant Phase 3 trial of MTBVAC; or are planned, including a Phase 2b trial of MTBVAC in adolescents and adults.

These exciting new TB vaccine trials, in tandem with a number of new trials of the effectiveness of new drug treatment regimens for both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB, will form the majority of the SATVI research portfolio for the next five years. However, the third iteration of the RePORT South Africa networkwill continue the SATVI tradition of conducting large, innovative TB biomarker studies. This edition of the SATVI Annual Report tells the story of one such observational study, the Adolescent Cohort Study, which started almost 20 years ago and has now come full circle, allowing potentially protective Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens to be discovered and incorporated into an early stage mRNA vaccine candidate that has already entered  pre-clinical testing.

The future of TB vaccines is bright. The expectation that one or more candidate vaccines currently in efficacy trials will report a signal of protection in the next five years highlights the urgency of understanding how a new TB vaccine would be implemented in the Breede Valley community. We have a short window of opportunity to understand and overcome the drivers of vaccine hesitancy, to optimize the availability and uptake of a new and more effective TB vaccine for the people who need it most.

Yours sincerely

Professor Mark Hatherill

Director

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