Manish Sadarangani: Associate Professor at Department of Pediatrics, UBC Faculty of Medicine

Dr. Sadarangani is head of the Vaccine Evaluation Center (VEC) at BC Children’s Hospital. Founded in 1988, the VEC is an academic centre of excellence focusing on vaccine and immunization research in BC and across Canada. He is also a pediatric infectious disease specialist and an investigator at BC Children’s, and assistant professor with the UBC Department of Pediatrics.

The aim of his research at the Vaccine Evaluation Center (VEC) is to lower the burden of childhood infectious disease through vaccination by building an evidence base for local, national and international vaccine policy. Hisresearch program includes laboratory studies to develop new and better vaccines, clinical trials to identify how best to utilize new and approved vaccines, and population-based investigations to identify targets for new vaccines and demonstrate vaccine impact.

Research Methodology

In vitro immune responses to vaccines

Population level evaluation of immunization programs

Animal models for immunization

Bacterial modification

clinical studies

Recruitment

Looking to recruit:

Master's students

Doctoral students

Postdoctoral Fellows

Desired start dates: Any time / year round

Potential research project areas:

The overall goal of my research is to protect children from infections by improving vaccines, vaccination strategies, and building evidence-informed policy and public health initiatives. My research program encompasses laboratory, clinical, and population-based investigations in three complementary focus areas in an innovative molecule-to-population approach.

Focus 1 - Vaccine Development. Develop new highly immunogenic vaccines and a novel vaccine platform.

Focus 2 - Vaccine Immunity. Enhance immunity in individuals by optimizing immune responses to vaccines.

Focus 3 - Vaccine Effectiveness. Improve protection in the population by clinical vaccine evaluation.

Each focus targets a different area in the vaccine cycle, but these are inextricably linked, and my experience and training across methodologies enables me to bring these together in a transformative research program. I have developed the unique repertoire of laboratory, clinical and epidemiologic expertise that is required for a research program in applied, translational vaccinology that will have significant global impact for decades:

Vaccine Development. To develop new highly immunogenic vaccines and a novel delivery system that will induce robust, persistent immunity and can be used with diverse antigens to target antibiotic-resistant pathogens. I have led studies to design new vaccines against S. pneumoniae, Klebsiella and N. meningitidis, using molecular biology, bacterial genetics, microbiology, cellular immunology and animal models. I have designed immunogenic novel vaccines, including one developed to a phase 1 clinical trial. My lab is developing and evaluating pneumococcal and Klebsiella vaccines, aiming to demonstrate immunogenicity and protection in mouse models of human infection and to complete a phase 1 first-in-human clinical trial with at least one novel vaccine.

Vaccine Immunity. To enhance vaccine-induced immunity in individuals by comprehensive understanding of immune responses and optimization by modification of immune responses – towards precision vaccinology. I have evaluated antibody (Ab) and T cell responses to vaccines, including with systems biology approaches. This involved development and use of assays to measure Ab response and Ab function after immunization in humans and mice. We are investigating effects of immune setpoint on responses to new and established vaccines in children, and using mouse models to determine if responses can be improved by manipulation with adjuvants administered before vaccine Ag. If so, it would lead to a new, innovative approach to infant immunization.

Vaccine Effectiveness. To improve vaccine-induced protection in the population by evaluation of vaccines in clinical trials and observational and epidemiological studies of vaccine impact. I have led multicentre national and international phase 1-4 clinical trials and observational studies to evaluate vaccine effectiveness after implementation and across the age spectrum. We assess the full population impact of new and existing vaccines on the incidence and severity of vaccine-preventable diseases, and optimize vaccine schedules for children.

Other options:

I support public scholarship, e.g. through the Public Scholars Initiative, and am available to supervise students and Postdocs interested in collaborating with external partners as part of their research.

I support experiential learning experiences, such as internships and work placements, for my graduate students and Postdocs.

I am open to hosting Visiting International Research Students (non-degree, up to 12 months).

I am interested in hiring Co-op students for research placements.

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Supervision Enquiry

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Postdoctoral Fellows

Kaitlin Winter

Graduate Student Supervision

Doctoral Student Supervision

Dissertations completed in 2010 or later are listed below. Please note that there is a 6-12 month delay to add the latest dissertations.

Evaluation of pertussis immunization during pregnancy (2021)

Pertussis disease is most severe among young infants, leading to high morbidity and mortality. To reduce the burden of pertussis disease among young infants, immunization against pertussis during pregnancy has been implemented in an increasing number of countries over the past decade. My research goals have focused on addressing important knowledge gaps in the field of pertussis immunization during pregnancy to inform an evidence-based immunization program. Using data on hospitalized pertussis cases admitted to pediatric tertiary care centers in Canada, I report that the highest morbidity and mortality from pertussis is among infants
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Master's Student Supervision

Theses completed in 2010 or later are listed below. Please note that there is a 6-12 month delay to add the latest theses.

Evaluation of anti-pertussis immunogenicity in infants and children after immunization in pregnancy with tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine (2024)

The full abstract for this thesis is available in the body of the thesis, and will be available when the embargo expires.

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Identification and evaluation of potential candidate antigens for vaccine development against Klebsiella pneumoniae (2023)

The full abstract for this thesis is available in the body of the thesis, and will be available when the embargo expires.

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