Development of Novel Immune Diagnostics for Vaccine Prioritisation in Low- to Middle-Income (LMIC) Settings

This PhD project aims to design, develop, and validate point-of-care lateral flow tests (LFTs) to assess immune status for vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) in LMICs. Focusing on measles and hepatitis B virus (HBV) mostly but also other infectious deseases, the research will:

• Create an LFT to detect anti-measles IgG at the WHO protective threshold (120 mIU/mL), enabling targeted vaccination during campaigns.
• Develop a dual-channel LFT for HBV to simultaneously identify chronic infection (via surface antigen) and immune status (via anti-HBV IgG), streamlining clinical decision-making.

By replacing centralized lab-based serology with field-deployable tools, this work will improve vaccine prioritization, reduce unnecessary vaccine doses, and close immunity gaps in LMICs. The project is a collaboration between the University of Birmingham, University of Rwanda, and RBC aligning with global health equity goals.