The workshop was organised by Professor Xinxue Liu, who coordinated the programme to facilitate in-depth discussions on how research can inform immunisation policy in both the UK and China.
The Chinese delegation included members of the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China (NHC), the China and Beijing Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Southern University of Science and Technology, Peking University People’s Hospital, and Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital involved in immunisation delivery.
Two participants are former or present members of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). Established in 2017, NIAC provides independent scientific advice on vaccine policy in China.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, NIAC members visited the UK to exchange experiences with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). This recent visit marked the resumption of that collaboration and a renewed opportunity for bilateral knowledge and experience exchange in immunisation policymaking.
The workshop began with an introduction to OVG’s research and its role in generating evidence to address key national and global policy questions.
- Professor Dominic Kelly presented two case studies showing how OVG’s work has informed JCVI recommendations.
- Professor Merryn Voysey shared insights from her research on measles vaccine scheduling in response to recent outbreaks in several parts of the world.
- Professor Daniela Ferreira provided an overview of OVG’s controlled human infection model (CHIM) programme and introduced the newly established Correlates of Immunity–Artificial Intelligence (CoI-AI) initiative, developed in collaboration with the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT). The CoI-AI project aims to deepen understanding of how the body fights infection and how vaccines confer protection.
- Professor Xinxue Liu presented two CHIM case studies, demonstrating how such studies can accelerate vaccine development and inform real-world policy decisions.
Participants then discussed the role of the JCVI in the UK’s evidence-based approach to vaccine policy making. Two OVG members, who also serve on the JCVI, shared their perspectives on translating research into national recommendations. The Chinese delegation discussed how similar frameworks could be adapted to their own context and examined the opportunities and challenges of conducting CHIM studies in China.
The meeting closed with a lively discussion and a shared commitment to strengthening UK-China collaboration in vaccine research and immunisation policy, supporting global efforts to improve public health through evidence-based vaccination strategies.