Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a $228,000 Project Grant to Harvard College's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, with performance from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2028, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855). This research initiative will investigate the relationship between maternal and infant micronutrient deficiencies—specifically iron, zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin D—and reduced immune response to oral rotavirus vaccines in low-resource settings. The study addresses a critical public health gap, as oral rotavirus vaccines demonstrate significantly lower efficacy (40%-64%) in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia compared to high and middle-income countries (85%-98%), despite WHO recommendations for universal childhood vaccination against rotavirus, a leading cause of severe childhood diarrhea and mortality worldwide.

The research will evaluate plasma samples from 250 mother-infant pairs obtained through a completed randomized, placebo-controlled vaccine efficacy trial conducted in Niger. By analyzing the associations between the four targeted micronutrients and infants' failure to develop effective immune responses, this study aims to identify the biological mechanisms underlying vaccine underperformance and generate evidence that could enhance oral vaccine efficacy in low-resource populations through targeted micronutrient interventions or other evidence-based public health strategies.