SWAT Team Description: Provide cross-cutting support to COVID-19 vaccine developers in the area of diagnostics, standards, assays and animal models.

Co-Leads: Paul Kristiansen (CEPI) and Ivana Knezevic (WHO)

         

CEPI Centralized Laboratory Network

Overview

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is supporting different vaccine candidates targeting the SARS-CoV-2 virus (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). Comparing immune responses against different vaccine candidates intended for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 is challenging. In order to reduce some of this complexity, better assess the immunological profile of each vaccine candidate, and provide robust assays for regulatory purposes, CEPI created a Centralized Laboratory Network to test the immune response elicited by different vaccine in preclinical studies and Phase I and IIa clinical studies.

Objective

The CEPI Centralized Laboratory Network is open to all COVAX funded and non-funded vaccine developers:

  • To test samples from pre-clinical to Phase III clinical studies for key immunogenicity and efficacy endpoint evaluation
  • To support SARS-CoV-2 vaccine developers in the pathway towards licensure
  • To help the identification of Immune Correlates of Protection
  • To facilitate rapid evaluation, approval, and dissemination of the most effective vaccine candidates

All COVID-19 vaccine developers are invited to apply to use the Network.

The network laboratories:

 

 Qualified assays available:

More information on processing of samples, shipment and data handling within the CEPI Centralized Laboratory Network can be found here. 

The testing service is free of charge, except for the shipment costs.

To check your eligibility, complete the Sample Analysis Request Form.

The Centralized Laboratory Network in numbers:

 

 Press releases

Laboratory network to test vaccines against epidemic and pandemic diseases expands presence in Global South – CEPI | 30 May 2023 

Q2 Solutions Beijing joins CEPI's global network of COVID-19 vaccine testing labs | 2 Nov 2021

A new lab joins the network and variant testing is now offered at the CEPI CL | 14 May 2021

The importance of blood markers in assessing vaccine efficacy  | 13 Jan 2021

Two more laboratories join CEPI’s centralised network to standardise assessment of COVID-19 vaccines | 20 Oct 2020

CEPI labs to help improve Covid-19 vaccine evaluation | 08 Oct 2020

DBT-THSTI recognized as a Global Bioassay Laboratory to assess COVID 19 Vaccine by CEPI  | 05 Oct 2020

CEPI establishes global network of laboratories to centralise assessment of COVID-19 vaccine candidates | 02 Oct 2020

Viroclinics Press Release | 02 Oct 2020

Exclusive: New global lab network will compare COVID-19 vaccines head-to-head  | 02 Oct 2020

Why and how do we harmonise assessment of COVID-19 vaccine trials? | 02 Oct 2020

 

Workshops, Conferences, Congresses, Webinars

Expanding the CEPI Centralized Laboratory Network - Webinar for the labs  |  7 - 9 December 2021 | Presentation Material  | Video Recording | Q&A | Transcript (in English)

Webinar 'Standardization of Immune Response Assays to COVID-19 Vaccines: A Year’s Experience Transferring Assays to a Global Network of Labs | 31 August 2021 | Presentation Material | Report | Recording Part 1 - Lessons Learned  | Recording Part 2 - The Future  | 
Full details about the webinar (including slides & brochure) are on BEBPA’s CEPI Webinar Information page.

Webinar on the Centralized Laboratory Network  | 12 March 2021  | Presentation Material | Recording

Workshop on COVID-19 Correlates of Protection | COVAX Clinical Development SWAT Team  | 19 Nov 2020 | Workshop Full Report 

Publications

  1. The CEPI centralised laboratory network: supporting COVID-19 vaccine development | 5 Jun 2021 | THE LANCET
  2. Quantification of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody by wild-type plaque reduction neutralization, microneutralization and pseudotyped virus neutralization assays  | 23 April 2021 | Nature Protocols   
  3. CEPI Centralized Laboratory Network: A global resource to support COVID-19 vaccine development | April 2021 | THE LANCET, manuscript submitted
  4. Considerations for bioanalytical characterization and batch release of COVID-19 vaccines | 13 April 2021 | NPJ Vaccines
  5. Status Report on COVID-19 Vaccines Development | 14 April 2021 | Current Infectious Diseases Report

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