Funded by the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking, a new €15.3 million project coordinated by Institut Pasteur brings together seven partners across four continents to advance clinical trials and prepare for the manufacturing of a chikungunya vaccine in Africa.
Institut Pasteur is launching ACT-CHIK (Accelerating Clinical Trials for CHIKungunya Vaccine in Africa), a major four-year research project funded by the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking under the European Union's Horizon Europe program. With €15.3 million in EU funding, ACT-CHIK will advance the clinical development of MV-CHIK — a measles-virus-based chikungunya vaccine originally developed at Institut Pasteur — through a large-scale Phase Ib/III clinical trial in four African countries, while preparing for technology transfer to an African vaccine manufacturer.
A growing public health threat
Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. It causes debilitating symptoms, including high fever, severe joint pain that can persist for months or even years, headache, rash, and fatigue. Over the past two decades, the number of chikungunya cases reported across Africa has risen sharply. Yet, the disease remains largely underdiagnosed and under-reported, particularly in regions where multiple arboviruses and malaria co-circulate. Climate change is further expanding the range of mosquito vectors, increasing the risk of outbreaks across the globe, and most notably in Africa.
Although chikungunya vaccines have recently become available, their use remains limited largely among travellers, with cost and access constraints hindering their deployment in endemic regions. In this context, the MV-CHIK candidate represents a different approach, grounded in public health priorities: it is designed to be accessible to populations in endemic areas and aims to support local production. This positioning will address a major gap in equitable access to vaccination and to strengthen outbreak preparedness in regions where the need is greatest.
An innovative vaccine platform for Africa
The MV-CHIK vaccine is a live-attenuated, recombinant vaccine using the well-established measles virus Schwarz vaccine strain as a vector — a platform technology originally developed at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. Six Phase I and II clinical trials conducted in Europe, the United States, and Puerto Rico, including approximately 600 adult participants in total, have demonstrated satisfactory safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity profiles.
Building on these encouraging results, ACT-CHIK will conduct a Phase Ib/III multicenter, international clinical trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of MV-CHIK in adults (18–55 years), adolescents (12–17 years), and children (5–11 years) living in Rwanda, Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal. By enrolling 940 participants across both endemic and non-endemic areas, the trial will generate essential data to advance the clinical development plan for African populations, including younger age groups.
Strengthening Africa's vaccine ecosystem
Beyond clinical evaluation, the project has a strategic manufacturing dimension. ACT-CHIK will conduct comprehensive due diligence, gap analysis, and prepare for the technology transfer of the MV-CHIK vaccine manufacturing process to the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD), Africa's only WHO-prequalified vaccine manufacturer. Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) in Brazil, a fellow member of the Pasteur Network, will prepare the clinical trial materials and contribute its extensive vaccine manufacturing expertise to the technology transfer process.
The project will also develop a regulatory pathway for the licensure of the MV-CHIK vaccine in Africa through engagement with national regulatory authorities and the World Health Organization prequalification teams, to obtain prequalification.
ACT-CHIK directly supports Africa's ambition — as set by the African Union — to produce 60% of the continent's vaccine needs locally by 2040, and is aligned with the European Union's Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines (TEI MAV+).
An international consortium spanning four continents
The ACT-CHIK consortium brings together seven partner institutions with complementary expertise:
"Chikungunya remains a neglected disease in Africa despite its growing burden. ACT-CHIK represents a unique opportunity to generate critical clinical data in the populations that need this vaccine most, while simultaneously building the foundation for regional vaccine manufacturing on the continent. This project embodies Institut Pasteur's commitment to translating its research into concrete public health solutions for the most vulnerable populations."
Dr. Sotiris Missailidis , ACT-CHIK Project Coordinator at Institut Pasteur.
“As the leader of the scientific leadership work package within the consortium for the next four years, the University of Rwanda will assume stewardship of scientific governance and strategic leadership to advance vaccine manufacturing and equitable access, hereby reinforcing Africa’s manufacturing and regulatory ecosystems. I look forward to contributing to the generation of robust, evidence-based clinical data and to spearheading the introduction of an innovative vaccine platform tailored to Africa’s epidemiological realities. The scientific rigor and contextual innovation will enhance chikungunya preparedness and outbreak control in Africa, embedding the ACT-CHIK as a cornerstone in Africa’s broader vaccine manufacturing and access agenda under the Africa CDC 2040 vision.”
Prof. Leon Mutesa , Co-Scientific Project Lead for ACT-CHIK at the University of Rwanda.
ACT-CHIK will mobilize the full breadth of expertise at Institut Pasteur de Dakar: from clinical trials to cutting-edge virology and immunology laboratories, from vaccine research to manufacturing expertise. This project embodies our vision: an Africa that develops, evaluates, and produces its own vaccines — for the populations that need them most.
Dr Ibrahima Socé FALL , CEO of Institut Pasteur de Dakar
"With only one chikungunya vaccine currently available worldwide, it is more important than ever to advance alternative vaccine candidates through rigorous clinical evaluation. ACT-CHIK will leverage IVI's experience as a clinical trial sponsor and our established networks across Africa to ensure the highest standards of trial conduct, while building a clear regulatory pathway toward licensure on the continent and eventual WHO prequalification. Our goal is not only to evaluate this promising vaccine, but to build lasting capacity so that African institutions can lead vaccine research and development for the diseases that affect their communities most."
Dr. Anh Wartel , co-Scientific Project Lead of ACT-CHIK at the International Vaccine Institute.
“Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (host of the Institute of Viral and Emergent Pathogens Control and Research) is pleased to be part of the Accelerating Clinical Trials for Chikungunya Vaccine in Africa (ACT-CHIK) project, a landmark multinational initiative advancing chikungunya vaccine development while strengthening capacity for vaccine clinical trials and manufacturing across Africa.
At present, there are no active phase clinical trials for a chikungunya vaccine taking place in Nigeria, with recent scientific efforts focusing largely on surveillance and seroprevalence studies. Through ACT-CHIK, we are excited to help bridge this gap by serving as the Lead for the Clinical Trial Conduct Work Package. Our participation reflects the institution’s longstanding commitment to high-quality research, innovation, and global health partnerships aimed at addressing emerging infectious diseases.
Participation in this project aligns strongly with our institutional mandate, and we are delighted to work alongside this distinguished consortium of professionals and experts toward strengthening Africa’s preparedness and response capacity for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.”
Prof Reuben Agbons Eifediyi, CMD/CEO Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital Irrua, Nigeria
“As the coordinating Principal investigator, I am excited at this opportunity at advancing a vaccine trial that represents not only a critical step toward prevention of a debilitating illness, but also a long-term investment in Africa’s scientific leadership.
Beyond evaluating a promising vaccine candidate, this work is strengthening clinical research capacity across participating countries—building sustainable infrastructure for future epidemic response. It is a platform for innovation, collaboration, and self-reliance in addressing diseases that affect our populations. By working together across borders, we are contributing to a future where Africa leads in the development and delivery of solutions to its own health challenges.
We remain committed to the highest standards of safety, ethics, and community engagement as we move this important work forward.”
Prof Okogbenin, Coordinating Principal Investigator, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital Irrua, Nigeria
Notes to the editor:
About the Institut Pasteur
Institut Pasteur, a non-profit foundation with recognized public utility status, established in 1887 by Louis Pasteur, is today an internationally renowned center for biomedical research. In pursuit of its mission to prevent and combat diseases in France and throughout the world, it operates in four main areas: research, public health, education and training, and development of research applications. Institut Pasteur is a member of the Pasteur Network, an international network of 33 members across five continents united by Pasteurian values and contributing to global health.
About the International Vaccine Institute
The International Vaccine Institute is an international organization dedicated to advancing vaccine discovery, development, and delivery—especially for vulnerable communities. Through research, partnerships, and innovation, IVI enhances global health, strengthens pandemic preparedness, and ensures equitable access to life-saving vaccines worldwide. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int .
About the EDCTP3 program
The Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking is a partnership between the European Union and the EDCTP Association. It funds collaborative research and innovation to accelerate the development of new or improved health technologies for infectious diseases that disproportionately affect sub-Saharan Africa, addressing both routine health needs and pandemic preparedness. ACT-CHIK was selected under the call topic HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2025-01-NTD-03-two-stage.
Funded by the European Union under Global Health EDCTP3. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of Global Health EDCTP3 nor its members. Neither of the parties can be held responsible for them .
The project is supported by Global Health EDCTP3 and its members.