Théodora Georgakopoulou — Evaluating high-dimensional surrogate markers of the yellow fever vaccine response

by Théodora Georgakopoulou (Université de Bordeaux, Inserm Bordeaux Population Health U1219, Inria, SISTM)

Thursday Jun 19, 2025, 1:15 PM → 2:00 PM Europe/Paris

to be determined (ISPED)

Speaker: Théodora Georgakopoulou from Bordeaux Population Health
Title: Evaluating high-dimensional surrogate markers of the yellow fever vaccine response

This seminar will be in English

Abstract: One of the greatest challenges of vaccinology is to prospectively determine the efficacy of a given vaccine. Surrogate markers are biomarkers that can be used to estimate the treatment effect on the outcome earlier than this effect can be clinically measured. Existing literature has increasingly explored the use of early gene expression signatures as early indicators of biological responses. In the context of vaccine development, this approach allows researchers to determine vaccine efficacy while saving time and resources compared to standard vaccine trials. In our study, we aimed to identify gene expression surrogate markers for the YF-17D vaccine, one of the most successful vaccines ever developed. Using open-access data from the Human Immunology Project Consortium (HIPC), we compared gene expression values collected 1-week post vaccination to antibody response values collected approximately 3 months post vaccination with Rank-Based Identification of high-dimensional Surrogate Markers (RISE), a novel approach designed for typical modern vaccine trial settings. Using this method, we found that valid surrogates of YF-17D include mostly genes involved in interferon and antiviral responses. These promising findings highlight the potential of using early gene signatures to determine vaccine efficacy and revolutionize the structure of vaccine trials, by reducing resource demands and drastically accelerating vaccine development.

 

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Biostatistics seminar series from the Department of Public Health from the University of Bordeaux and the Bordeaux Population Health UMR 1219 research center