Principal Investigator(s):
Dr. Kayla Barnes (Study PI),
Associate Professor Abhilasha Karkey (country PI)
Funder(s): Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Location(s): Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Laos, Thailand, UK, Vietnam, Nepal, Bhutan
Driven in part by climate change and other environmental and demographic factors, Dengue virus and Zika virus (DENV/ZIKV) infections are increasing across many regions of the world. Despite the widespread presence of competent mosquito vectors in Africa and Asia, significant limitations persist in disease detection, surveillance capacity, and understanding of transmission dynamics, population immunity, and overall disease burden.
MADZIP is a collaborative research initiative uniting multidisciplinary teams across nine countries in Africa and Asia to strengthen evidence generation on DENV/ZIKV epidemiology, immunity, and viral evolution. Building on existing surveillance platforms, the consortium will assess patterns of infection and exposure at both clinical and community levels, while investigating neutralizing antibody responses, cross-reactivity between DENV and ZIKV, and region-specific T-cell immunity.
The project also integrates standardized clinical protocols and predictive modelling tools to examine how environmental, demographic, and host-related factors influence disease transmission and severity. To support long-term research and future vaccine development, harmonized biorepositories containing serum samples, viral isolates, and preserved blood specimens for cellular studies will be established across participating countries. Collectively, these efforts aim to improve regional preparedness and inform the development of effective and context-appropriate vaccination strategies for arboviral diseases.
Partners and collaborators
1.. Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital
2. Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Research Program
3.African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases
4.Africa Health Research Institute
5.Kenya Medical Research Institute
6.Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit
7.Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit
9.Nuffield Department of Medicine
12.Royal Centre for Disease Control JDW National Referral Hospital
