About the project
Background
Pregnant individuals and infants face unique risks during infectious disease outbreaks, yet they have been largely excluded from clinical research on vaccines and therapeutics. This has resulted in delayed and inconsistent recommendations for interventions, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. The PIPELINE project was created to fill this gap by establishing a dedicated clinical trial platform that prioritises maternal and infant health in pandemic preparedness and response.
Project Goals
PIPELINE is driven by the following key objectives:
Develop a multi-country adaptive trial platform to evaluate vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics for pregnant individuals and infants.
Conduct a multi-country RSV prevention trial as a model for future pandemic preparedness.
Enhance regulatory and ethical frameworks to streamline the inclusion of pregnant individuals and infants in clinical research.
Strengthen capacity-building efforts through training and knowledge-sharing to ensure sustainable expertise in maternal-infant clinical trials.
Impact
By addressing critical gaps in pandemic preparedness for pregnant individuals and infants, PIPELINE aims to:
- Provide robust clinical evidence to inform maternal and infant health policies.
- Improve access to lifesaving interventions during infectious disease outbreaks.
- Strengthen research infrastructure for maternal and infant clinical trials in Europe
and beyond. - Ensure equitable inclusion of pregnant individuals and infants in global pandemic
response efforts.
