Prof. Walter Jaoko, KAVI Director (L) and Prof. Omu Anzala, senior scientist at KAVI. The two are part of the Sisulu Foundation for African and Pandemic Disease Response (The Sisulu Foundation).
Research scientists from the University of Nairobi have teamed up with their colleagues from other African countries to form the Sisulu Foundation for African and Pandemic Disease Response (The Sisulu Foundation).
The Foundation which comprises of African universities and research institutions led by Walter Sisulu University from South Africa will establish a collaborative Pan-African platform for training, research and development in pandemics. It aims to accelerate responses from within the African research community with regards to diseases and pandemics.
Speaking during the launch of the foundation at KAVI Institute of Clinical Research based at UoN, Dr. Patrick Amoth, acting Director for Health and Chairman, Executive Board of the World Health Organization said this collaboration of African scientists presents a great opportunity to harness the various conversations and proposals in the continent into actions that will guarantee availability of vaccines and medicine in Africa to control diseases and disease pandemics in the future.
“The government of Kenya fully supports this initiative and will work with the various collaborators in ensuring its success for the benefit of the people of Africa,” Dr. Amoth said.
KAVI Director, Prof. Walter Jaoko said critical and groundbreaking research on human vaccines is being carried out at the institute.
“We are conducting trials with regard to the vaccine, we are actually conducting COVID-19 vaccines trials and also generating the immune responses from people who have received the vaccine in the routine government vaccination,” Prof Jaoko said during the launch.
On his part, Prof. Omu Anzala, a senior scientist at KAVI said they intend to generate Africa specific vaccine stating that they were they were key players in the generation of Ebola vaccine.
“I want to let you know that the Ebola phase one and phase two took place here at KAVI,” Prof Anzala.
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