Africa: Call for Applications – the Africa CDC Launches Short-Course Trainings in Vaccine Manufacturing At the Texas A&M University

The African Union (AU)/ Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have called for a New Public Health Order which will safeguard the health and economic security of the continent as it strives to meet the aspirations of Agenda 2063. A key pillar of this mandate seeks to expand the local manufacture of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Less than one percent of vaccines administered on the continent are manufactured locally. The Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) was established by the AU, under the Africa CDC, in 2021 to deliver a bold goal: enabling the African vaccine manufacturing industry to develop, produce, and supply over 60 percent of the total vaccine doses required on the continent by 2040.

Scaling vaccine manufacturing and R&D across the continent to meet the AU’s 2040 ambitions will require quadrupling the vaccine workforce to approximately 12,500 full-time employees (FTEs). To respond to the immediate vaccine manufacturing talent needs and actualize the short-term vision, Africa CDC in collaboration with Texas A & M University National Centre for Therapeutics Manufacturing (NCTM) is organizing short-term course trainings relevant to biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

• Overview of Africa CDC and BARDA-sponsored Texas A&M courses

Course 1: Advanced certificate in biopharmaceutical manufacturing

Course content overview:

• Therapeutics Manufacturing: Past, present, and future
• Understanding the Science of the Biopharmaceutical Industry
• cGMP procedures and Documentation
• Pharmaceutical Facility Operations
• Safety in the Biopharmaceutical Industry

Duration: 3 weeks (1 week online and 2-weeks onsite)

Practical/ hands-on training available: Yes

Minimum years of experience in biopharma manufacturing required: 1 year

Minimum education level: Bachelor’s degree (At least 2 years of study – completed degree not necessary)

Prior courses studied: Participants having studied Basic Cell biology, Chemistry or Microbiology preferred

Profiles of trainees: Entry level upstream/ downstream/ QC process engineers

Course 2: Biomanufacturing of vectors for gene therapy

Course content overview:

• Gene Therapy Overview
• Products, Vectors, Process and Equipment, Introduction to cGMP and Biosafety

Upstream

• Transient Transfection of Sf9 cells, Single Use Bioreactors, Reusable Bioreactors, Cell growth in Bioreactors, Monitoring Bioreactors, Methods to produce Gene Therapy Vectors, Production of AAV2-GFP using Baculovirus and Sf9 cells

Downstream

• Vector Harvest and Recovery, Chromatography for AV2 Purification, Ultrafiltration for concetration and Diafilatration

Analytical

• AAV Methods of Quantification, qPCR, SDS-PAGE

Duration: 4 days onsite

Practical/ hands-on training available: Yes

Minimum years of experience in biopharma manufacturing required: 1 year

Minimum education level: Bachelor’s degree

Prior courses studied: Participants having studied Basic Cell biology, Chemistry or Microbiology preferred

Profiles of trainees: Upstream/ downstream/ QC process engineers

Course 3: mRNA Vaccine manufacturing course

Course content overview:

• Overview of mRNA vaccine manufacturing

Duration: 4 days onsite

Practical/ hands-on training available: Yes

Minimum years of experience in biopharma manufacturing required: 1 year

Minimum education level: Bachelor’s degree

Prior courses studied: Participants having studied Basic Cell biology, Chemistry or Microbiology preferred

Profiles of trainees: Upstream/ downstream/ QC process engineers

• Eligibility criteria for the short-course trainings
• Citizen of an African Union Member state
• Working in the field of vaccine manufacturing, regulation, academia
• Must possess a valid passport
• Must be available to participate to the Training in Texas, USA.
• Must be proficient in English

The Africa CDC PAVM will set up a committee to review all applications, and only those selected will be contacted for further processes. Only 24 candidates will be selected.

• The short courses Trainings

The trainees will be admitted in two cohorts for a 2 weeks back-to- back hands-on training for the indicated courses, with the first training (advanced certificate in biopharmaceutical manufacturing) to be conducted from 31st July 2023 to 11th August 2023, and from 14th to 25th August 2023. 12 candidates in each cohort. The dates for the other courses (Gene Therapy and mRNA vaccine manufacturing will be communicated in due course but are schedule to be conducted in November and December 2023.

Applications should be submitted by filling in the application form available at this link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11ZTD5jIF9bNNQcQ8QMjh7se7dzu3_t4a_EtFO9y1FT0/

The selected candidates will be fully funded by the Africa CDC with the support of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) of the United States of America. The funding includes:

• Tuition fees at the Texas A & M University
• Return tickets from home country to Texas, USA.
• Accommodation and Daily subsistence allowances (DSA) for the duration of the trainings
• Visa fees reimbursements
• Documents to facilitate the visa application

IMPORTANT DATES

• Deadline for Application: 31st March 2023
• Selected candidates will be notified in by 7th April 2023

Africa CDC welcomes applications from all qualified persons from all AU Member states regardless of their gender, race, disability, religious belief, caste, or marital status. Young women are encouraged to apply. For more information, contact: [email protected]