When Shabani Chitenje, a fourth-year Environmental Health student at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), learned about a new vaccine study that could fight pneumonia in Malawi, he was eager to be part of something meaningful. He said his academic field in health made him realise the importance of supporting such initiatives. “I believe my participation could contribute to the benefit of future generations,” said Chitenje. The Malawi Liverpool Wellcome (MLW) Programme on Friday held a sensitisation meeting at MUBAS to raise awareness about the new study, which involves a vaccine known as PnuBioVax (PBV). The engagement aimed to encourage students to volunteer for the research. MLW has previously conducted similar studies in Malawi, including trials involving the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13). The new study seeks to determine if administering the new vaccine protects against the growth of pneumococci bacteria, which cause pneumonia and other serious infections. The study is part of the MARVELS project, which focuses on testing new vaccines to help prevent diseases in Malawi. According to MLW, Pneumococcal infections are a leading cause of pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis, claiming over a million lives annually, especially in low-resource settings like Malawi. MLW physician Anthony Chirwa said the goal of the study is to accelerate the development of vaccines that work best for the Malawian population. “The PBV is being tested as a complementary option to existing pneumococcal vaccines,” he said. The study, which is expected to run for three years, is already in the recruitment phase and targets 416 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 50, which will include students like Chitenje, as “they are considered a safe group for early tests,” said Chirwa. According to the physician, selected participants will be closely monitored at the Grace Bandawe Conference Centre in Blantyre for safety and follow-up, with transport expenses being compensated to them. By Yankho Mbepula