Topic

• One Health approach to antimicrobial resistance

Abstract

• Antimicrobial resistance is considered to be one of the major threats to the public health because it significantly limits treatment options for bacterial infections. It has long been recognized that the antimicrobial resistance is an issue on our ecosystem affecting the health of human-animal-environment. Thus, it needs to address the antimicrobial resistance is by taking into account the complex nature through multisectoral approach, so called One Health. The One Health is a collaborative attempt to accomplish the public health by collective efforts of multiple professions in charge of the human-animal-environment health. In South Korea, after establishing the 1st National Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance in Aug. 2016, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) initiated a pilot study for the One Health-based Antimicrobial Resistance Research in 2017-2018. And the 5-year primary phase of the multi-sectoral joint project to One Health approach against AMR was started in 2019 based on the leadership of KDCA in collaboration with five other ministries, i.e. the Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, for the mission to protect citizens from the harms of AMR. By 2021, the Korea Rural Development Administration participated in the project. Through the 4-year progression of the project, two major infrastructures were established, a portal system for One Health AMR and a multi-drug resistant bacterial isolate bank, and varied research projects are now conducting to understand i) the status of AMR dissemination in human-animal-environment sectors, ii) mechanisms of dissemination of the AMR through the One Health interphase, and iii) the way to stop the dissemination.

Topic

• One Health AMR research landscape in Singapore

Abstract

• In this session, Dr Poon will share the findings of a review of Singapore’s antimicrobial resistance research landscape (2009-2019) conducted by AMRCO, and discuss the areas of research needs that were identified from the review.

Topic

• Population CPE evolution in Singapore

Abstract

• In this session A/Prof Ng will discuss follow-up work to the recently published CaPES analysis of CPE transmission in Singapore over 5 years. The genomic core of CaPES has closed 1,000 genomes and results from this high resolution analysis will be discussed in this session.

Topic

• What we are learning about long COVID: Long COVID Research Projects in NIID

Abstract

• I will share the definition of long COVID-19 in Korea and discuss future plans of the long COVID research project through summarizing previous research cases that have been conducted in Korea using cohorts of COVID-19 patients and health insurance big data.

Topic

• Long COVID treatment trials: pathogenesis guides intervention

Abstract

• Prof David Lye will review and discuss studies on pathogenesis of long COVID-19 in relation to increased cardiac and neurological complications post COVID-19.

Topic

• Serosurveillance and Immunogenicity Studies on COVID-19 in Korea

Abstract

• The division of vaccine clinical research, NIID is conducting national immunity survey and immunogenicity studies of COVID-19 vaccine recipients. The antibody positive rate survey can estimate the level of antibodies acquired by vaccination and infection. National representative samples were selected from 17 provinces for analysis of seropositivity. The immunity level was confirmed using by antibody binding assay for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and nucleocapsid protein. In the first survey, anti-S positivity of 9,945 subjects was 97.6%, and anti-N positivity was 57.2% in August 2022. In the second survey progressed in December 2022, the anti-S positivity of 7,528 subjects was maintained as 98.6%, and the anti-N positivity showed 70.0% by increasing 12.8% after the first survey.
  COVID-19 vaccine s had been rapidly developed and were introduced in Korean society in early 2021. In this study, we aimed to investigate the short-term and long-term immunogenicity of diverse COVID-19 vaccine platforms after primary series and booster vaccination in healthy adults aged 20-59 years. Primary vaccination series elicited neutralizing against SARS-CoV-2 wild-type (WT) in all participants and the antibodies titers reached peak 2-4 weeks after the second dose. However, the vaccine effectiveness waned over time and resistance to vaccine-immunity of variants of concern increased. From late 2021, individuals were encouraged to receive a 3rd dose to overcome the immune escape of Delta and Omicron. The booster shot induced strengthened not only neutralizing antibodies against WT but those against Delta and Omicron variants.
  To establish public health strategies against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, it is planned to continuously present laboratory-based evidence by conducting the antibody positivity survey, and long-term follow-up studies on immune response and antibody persistence after vaccination.

Topic

• How to use and integrate whole genome sequencing into outbreak investigation programs – the example of CPO and VRE in Denmark

Topic

• Development of the novel Tuberculosis vaccine applied to various platforms in Korea

Abstract

• Tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading infectious cause of mortality worldwide, with about two million deaths yearly. Globally in 2020, an estimated 5.8 million incident cases were caused by M. tuberculosis. Moreover, there are an estimated 1.3 million deaths from TB. South Korea ranked the highest TB incidence among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) members. The only licensed vaccine, Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG), is effective in infants and adolescents. Unfortunately, the varying immune efficacy and short duration cause limited protection effects, so the BCG vaccine does not protect all generation groups from tuberculosis. Although significant progress in the search for a more effective TB vaccine has been demonstrated over the last two decades, there is still no replacement for the licensed BCG vaccine. Since 2018, the Korean government has implemented the “Midterm strategies to strengthen TB prevention and management” based on the 2nd National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Control (2018-2022). The program includes a strategy to support the development of a new tuberculosis vaccine. In this session, we would like to introduce the developing status of the new tuberculosis vaccine using various platforms and new formulation, in Korea.

Topic

• Overview of TB Vaccine Development

Abstract

• Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of death from infectious diseases and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased both mortality and the number of cases. Inspired the newest knowledge in TB vaccine development, the Center for Vaccine Research at SSI has developed two subunit vaccines in their TB program, 1) H56:IC31, that is in a Phase IIb trial testing it’s efficacy against recurrent TB and 2) H107e/CAF10b, that is a next-generation subunit vaccine designed for synergy with the BCG vaccine. Using new adjuvant technology, this vaccine promotes so-called Th17 cells that are gaining increasing interest in the field for their role in protective immunity. Join this talk by Rasmus Mortensen, Head of TB vaccine Research, and learn more about the two vaccines and SSIs plans for development.