:: The PneumoCarr project

Approximately one million children in the world die annually from acute respiratory infections caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus). The problem is biggest in developing countries. A new vaccine developed against pneumococcus effectively prevents the most serious forms of disease and also reduces nasopharyngeal colonization with pneumococci. Due to high research and development costs, however, the vaccine is too expensive for developing countries at the moment.

The goal of the PneumoCarr project is to establish reduction of colonization as part of the licensure process of new vaccines. Based on statistical models of pneumococcal colonization, the research group of the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) will develop new guidelines for determining vaccine efficacy for colonization. In addition, a simulation model of pneumococcal transmission will be developed to demonstrate the effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccination in different epidemiological settings. These tools will aid in the research of pneumococcal vaccines by providing a quick and inexpensive method for determining the efficacy and expected effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccines.

The PneumoCarr project is funded by the Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative and coordinated by THL, Finland. The project was launched in the beginning of 2006 and will last until the end of 2010. The consortium consists of nine institutions and is coordinated by the National Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland.
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