Platform for rapid immunological characterization of SARS CoV-2 variants in Kenya and the Eastern Africa Region

We propose to augment our well-established genomics surveillance infrastructure with a well-structured and coordinated platform for continuous immunological surveillance and characterization of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants within Kenya and the Eastern Africa region. We will assemble a network of collaborating health facilities across Kenya and the Eastern Africa region to contribute genomic and immunology samples. Our current status as an Africa CDC/WHO-AFRO regional genomic reference laboratory has facilitated bidirectional sample and data sharing with Ministry of Health teams from Eastern Africa and will be a key feature of the immunology work. We will determine whether newly emergent variants exhibit substantial changes in their sensitivity to neutralization by antibodies induced by vaccination and natural infection, and consequently predict the likely impact on vaccine effectiveness. In addition, we will establish a monoclonal antibody discovery pipeline to rapidly identify variant specific or cross-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. The network will therefore produce directly actionable health intelligence to support local and international public health policy adjustments to curtail the negative health and economic impacts of the virus.