Dr Martin Ota, Clinical Immunologist/Vaccinologist (MRC Unit The Gambia) has been awarded this year’s Royal Society Pfizer Exceptional Merit Award.  His studies are targeted at biomarker discoveries to understand the pathogenesis of tuberculosis and pneumococcal diseases, including clinical trials of novel vaccines to these two pathogens.
Dr Ota has been awarded a £37,000 grant to run a study which will see 200 pregnant women recruited and their infants followed during their first three months of life to better understand the relationship between pneumococcal protein antibody levels and nasopharyngeal carriage of pneumococci in early infancy. His research will be used to help develop better and new vaccines for pneumococcal infections – invasive infections include pneumonia, meningitis and febrile bacteremia; among the common non-invasive manifestations are otitis media, sinusitis and bronchitis.

The award grant, as well as a £3,000 prize, will be presented at a ceremony on 31 October 2012 at the Royal Society in London.

For further information contact:
Nicola Kane
Press and Public Relations
The Royal Society, London
Tel: 020 7451 2508
mailto:Nicola.kane@royalsociety.org