AWARD. Jan Holmgren, senior professor of medical microbiology, receives the prestigious international IVI-SK Bioscience Park MahnHoon Award. He is awarded for the development of the world’s first effective oral cholera vaccine.
Cholera is a highly contagious intestinal disease, characterized by sudden diarrhea and vomiting. The patient often becomes unconscious and usually dies within a few hours. Jan Holmgren led the research team that mapped the basic mechanisms of disease and immunity in cholera, leading to the development of the first effective cholera vaccine, Dukoral.
“I am, of course, very happy and honored to receive this largest vaccine prize in the world, which is now being awarded for the third year. It is also an honor to receive the prize together with the recipients of the other prizes this year, the American researchers Barney Graham and Jason McLellan, who have made pioneering efforts in the development of both COVID vaccines and other life-saving vaccines against viral infections,” says Jan Holmgren.
Saved countless lives
In the motivation for the prize, the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and SK Bioscience highlight that the oral cholera vaccine has saved countless lives. Ann-Mari Svennerholm, also a professor at the University of Gothenburg, is also recognized in the motivation for her fundamental studies on the mechanisms of disease and immunity in cholera.
“It pleases me that Ann-Mari Svennerholm’s important role in research on cholera immunity is highlighted. She made crucial contributions to the development of the first oral cholera vaccine, Dukoral, and also in the technology transfer to Vietnam, enabling the production of an inexpensive vaccine that could reach developing countries,” says Jan Holmgren.
Eliminating cholera
The motivation for the prize also highlights another key collaborator: John Clemens. He played a crucial role in transferring the vaccine technology to India and developing there the second oral cholera vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) after Dukoral, called Shanchol.
Studies led by John Clemens, often in collaboration with Jan Holmgren, have shown that both the direct protection in vaccinated individuals and the indirect protection in the rest of the population through “herd immunity” effectively contributed to reducing both the number of cases and the spread of the disease.
“John Clemens and colleagues’ work led to WHO fully recommending oral cholera vaccines for use in all cholera-prone countries in 2010, both for outbreak control and for preventive cholera vaccination in vulnerable areas,” notes Jan Holmgren.
Since 2017, there has also been a global roadmap adopted by WHO and 50 other international organizations with the goal of eliminating cholera by 2030, primarily through extensive cholera vaccination in vulnerable areas.
The prize will be awarded in Seoul, South Korea, on April 25th. Jan Holmgren’s prize is 100 million Korean Won, equivalent to approximately SEK 800,000. The same amount will be shared between the other two recipients, Barney Graham and Jason McLellan.
BY: ELIN LINDSTRÖM
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