Be on the TEAM: Teenagers Against Meningitis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluating the effect of immunisation with group B meningococcal vaccines on meningococcal carriage
IRAS ID
239091
Contact name
Andrew Pollard
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Research Governance, Ethics & Assurance (RGEA), University of Oxford
Eudract number
2017-004609-42
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 2 months, 31 days
Research summary
Teenagers and young children are at increased risk of diseases such as meningitis and blood poisoning due to bacteria called meningococcus. Although these diseases can be serious, the meningococcus bacteria are ‘carried’ in the back of the throat of 1 in 10 teenagers without causing any symptoms. Most meningococcal disease in teenagers is due to Meningitis B (also known as MenB). We want to see if immunising teenagers with vaccines against MenB can reduce the number of teenagers carrying these bacteria in their throat. This would be important because it could mean that teenage MenB immunisation would not only help protect teenagers against these potentially deadly diseases, but also that babies, children and older adults are less likely to be exposed to the bacteria. In short, immunising teenagers with a MenB vaccine might mean lower rates of meningococcal disease across all ages.
To study this we would like to collect samples from teenager’s throats and compare rates of MenB ‘carriage’ in teenagers before and after getting a MenB vaccine. In this study we are using two types of MenB vaccine, 4CMenB (also known as Bexsero) and MenB-fHBP (also known as Trumenba). Participants in this study will either get 2 doses of 4CMenB or MenB-fHBP given 6 months apart at their first two study visits, or 2 doses of 4CMenB 1 to 6 months apart at their last two study visits. These vaccines are approved for use in the UK, but are not routinely given to teenagers in this country. Teenagers would have three study visits, over 12 to 18 months and all visits would be held within schools.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/SC/0055
Date of REC Opinion
21 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion