Matthew B. Laurens, MD, MPH

Oglethorpe University, B.S., Biology, 1992

The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, M.P.H., 1996

Mercer University School of Medicine, M.D., 2001

Internship and Residency, Tulane University School of Medicine, Pediatrics, 2001-2004

Chief Residency, Tulane University School of Medicine, Pediatrics, 2004-2005

Fellowship, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Tropical Pediatrics, 2005-2008

Vaccinology Fellow, NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award for T32 Program in Vaccinology, 2006-2008

Dr. Laurens is a pediatric infectious disease specialist with a primary research interest in malaria, typhoid fever, and other diseases that disproportionately affect people who live in resource-limited settings. He conducts studies at the Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) in Baltimore and at international sites in Burkina Faso, Mali, Malawi, and Uganda. Dr. Laurens evaluates vaccines and therapeutics that target infectious pathogens, studies the interaction of HIV and malaria and investigates the acquisition of antimalarial immunity. The broad goal of Dr. Laurens’ research is to illuminate the mechanisms of vaccine-induced immunity with the aim to inform development of vaccines and therapeutics.

Malaria, typhoid, vaccines, antimalarial immunity, HIV-malaria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Malawi.

Friedman-Klabanoff DJ, Berry AA, Travassos MA, Shriver M, Cox C, Butts J, Lundeen JS, Strauss KA, Joshi S, Shrestha B, Mo AX, Nomicos EYH, Deye GA, Regules JA, Bergmann-Leitner ES, Pasetti MF, Laurens MB. Recombinant Full-length Plasmodium falciparum Circumsporozoite Protein-Based Vaccine Adjuvanted With Glucopyranosyl Lipid A-Liposome Quillaja saponaria 21: Results of Phase 1 Testing With Malaria Challenge. J Infect Dis. 2024 Jun 14;229(6):1883-1893. PMC11175675.

Patel PD, Liang Y, Meiring JE, Chasweka N, Patel P, Misiri T, Mwakiseghile F, Wachepa R, Banda HC, Shumba F, Kawalazira G, Dube Q, Nampota-Nkomba N, Nyirenda OM, Girmay T, Datta S, Jamka LP, Tracy JK, Laurens MB, Heyderman RS, Neuzil KM, Gordon MA; TyVAC team. Efficacy of typhoid conjugate vaccine: final analysis of a 4-year, phase 3, randomised controlled trial in Malawian children. Lancet. 2024 Feb 3;403(10425):459-468. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02031-7. PMC10850983.

Ouédraogo A, Diarra A, Nébié I, Barry N, Kabore JM, Tiono A, Datta S, Liang Y, Johnson-Mayo I, Oshinsky J, Tracy JK, Girmay T, Pasetti M, Jamka L, Sirima SB, Neuzil KM, Laurens MB. Durable Anti-Vi IgG and IgA responses in 15-month-old children vaccinated with typhoid conjugate vaccine in Burkina Faso. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2023 Sep 27;12(9):513-518. PMC 10533206.

Laurens MB*, Rick A*, Huang Y, Yu C, Martin TCS, Rodriguez CA, Rostad CA, Maboa RM, Baden LR, El Sahly HM, Grinsztejn B, Gray GE, Gay CL, Gilbert PB, Janes HE, Kublin JG, Huang Y, Leav B, Hirsch I, Struyf F, Dunkle LM, Neuzil KM, Corey L, Goepfert PA, Walsh SR, Follmann D, Kotloff KL. Risk of COVID-19 after Natural Infection or Vaccination. EBioMedicine. 2023 Sep 20:96:104799. PMC10518569. *co-first authors

Sirima SB, Ouedraogo A, Tiono A, Kaboré J, Bougouma E, Ouattara M, Kargougou D, Diarra A, Noelie H, Nebié I, Billingsley P, Manoj A, Abebe Y, KC N, Ruben A, Richie T, James E, Joshi S, Shrestha B, Strauss K, Lyke K, Plowe C, Potter G, Cox C, Jones W, Kim BKL, Hoffman SL, Laurens MB. A randomized controlled trial showing safety and efficacy of a whole sporozoite vaccine against endemic malaria. Sci Transl Med. 2022 Dec 7;14(674):eabj3776.

Friedman-Klabanoff DJ, Birkhold M, Short MT, Wilson TR, Meneses CR, Lacsina JR, Oliveira F, Kamhawi S, Valenzuela JG, Hunsberger S, Mateja A, Stoloff G, Pleguezuelos O, Memoli MJ, Laurens MB. Safety and immunogenicity of AGS-v PLUS, a mosquito saliva peptide vaccine against arboviral diseases: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1 trial. EBioMedicine. 2022 Nov 24;86:104375.

Nampota N, Nyirenda OM, Khonde L, Mapemba V, Mbewe M, Ndaferankhande JM, Msuku H, Masesa C, Misiri T, Mwakiseghile F, Patel PD, Patel P, Johnson-Mayo I, Pasetti MF, Heyderman RS, Tracy JK, Datta S, Liang Y, Neuzil KM, Gordon MA, Laurens MB; Typhoid Vaccine Acceleration Consortium team. Safety and immunogenicity of a typhoid conjugate vaccine among children aged 9 months through 12 years in Malawi: a nested sub-study of a double-blind, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Glob Health. 2022 Sep;10(9):e1326-e1335. PMC9380257.

Mungwira RG, Laurens MB, Nyangulu W, Divala TH, Nampota N, Buchwald AG, Nyirenda OM, Mwinjiwa E, Kanjala M, Galileya LT, Earland DE, Adams M, Plowe CV, Taylor TE, Mallewa J, van Oosterhout JJ, Laufer MK; TSCQ Study Team. High burden of malaria among Malawian adults on antiretroviral therapy after discontinuing prophylaxis. AIDS. 2022 Jul 15. PMC9444947.

Coulibaly D, Kone AK, Traore K, Niangaly A, Kouriba B, Arama C, Zeguime A, Dolo A, Lyke KE, Plowe CV, Abebe Y, Potter GE, Kennedy JK, Galbiati SM, Nomicos E, Deye GA, Richie TL, James ER, KC N, Sim BKL, Hoffman SL, Laurens MB, DMID 15-0052 PfSPZ-CVac Study Team. PfSPZ-CVac malaria vaccine demonstrates safety among malaria-experienced adults: a randomized, controlled  phase 1 trial. EClinicalMedicine. 2022 Oct;52:101579. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101579. PMC9343417.

Patel PD, Patel P, Liang Y, Meiring JE, Misri T, Mwakiseghile F, Tracy JK, Masesa C, Msuku H, Banda D, Mbewe M, Henrion M, Adetunji F, Simiyu K, Rotrosen E, Birkhold M, Nampota N, Nyirenda OM, Kotloff K, Gmeiner M, Dube Q, Kawalazira G, Laurens MB, Heyderman RS, Gordon MA, Neuzil KM. Safety and Efficacy of a Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine in Children in Blantyre, Malawi: A Randomized, Double-Blinded Active-Controlled Phase 3 Trial. N Engl J Med. 2021 Sep 16;385(12):1104-1115.

Laurens MB. Novel Malaria Vaccines. 2021 Aug 4;1-4. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1947762. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2021 Nov 2;17(11)4549-4552. PMC8528388.

Sirima SB, Ouedraogo A, Barry N, Siribie M, Tiono A, Nebié I, Konaté A, Berges GD, Diarra A, Ouedraogo M, Soulama I, Hema A, Datta S, Liang Y, Rotrosen E, Tracy JK, Jamka L, Oshinsky JJ, Pasetti MF, Neuzil KM, Laurens MB. Safety and immunogenicity of Vi-typhoid conjugate vaccine co-administration with routine 9-month vaccination in Burkina Faso: A randomised controlled phase 2 trial. Int J Infect Dis. 2021 May 31:S1201-9712(21)00461-6.

Laurens MB, Mungwira RG, Nampota N, Nyirenda OM, Divala TH, Kanjala M, Mkandawire FA, Galileya LT, Nyangulu W, Mwinjiwa E, Downs M, Tillman A, Taylor TE, Mallewa J, Plowe CV, van Oosterhout JJ, Laufer MK. Revisiting Co-Trimoxazole Prophylaxis for African Adults in The Era of Antiretroviral Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Sep 15;73(6):1058-1065. 

Friedman-Klabanoff DJ, Berry AA, Travassos MA, Cox C, Zhou Y, Kotloff KL, Nomicos EYH, Deye GE, Pasetti MF, Laurens MB. Low dose recombinant full-length circumsporozoite protein-based Plasmodium falciparum vaccine is highly immunogenic in Phase 1 first-in-human clinical testing. Vaccine. 2021 Feb 22;39(8):1195-1200.

Laurens MB. RTS,S/AS01 Vaccine (Mosquirix™) : An overview. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2020 Mar 3;16(3):480-489.

Laurens MB, Berry AA, Travassos MA, Strauss K, Adams M, Shrestha B, Li T, Eappen A, Manoj A, Abebe Y, Murshedkar T, Gunasekera A, Richie TL, Lyke KE, Plowe CV, Kennedy JK, Potter GE, Deye GA, Sim BKL, Hoffman SL. Dose dependent infectivity of aseptic, purified, cryopreserved Plasmodium falciparum 7G8 sporozoites in malaria-naïve adults. J Infect Dis. 2019 Nov 6;220(12):1962-1966. 

Laurens MB*, Meiring JE*, Patel P, Patel P, Misiri T, Simiyu K, Mwakiseghile F, Tracy K, Masesa C, Liang Y, Henrion M, Rotrosen E, Gmeiner M, Heyderman R, Kotloff KL, Gordon MA, Neuzil KM. TyVAC Malawi: a phase III randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of the clinical efficacy of typhoid conjugate vaccine among children age 9 months through 12 years in Blantyre, Malawi: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Clin Infect Dis. 2019 Mar 7;68(Supplement_2):S50-S58. *co-first authors. PMC6405268.

Laurens MB, Sirima SB, Rotrosen E, Siribie M, Tiono A, Ouedraogo A, Liang Y, Kotloff KL, Neuzil KM. A phase 2 randomized, double-blind controlled safety and immunogenicity trial of typhoid conjugate vaccine in children under two years of age in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Clin Infect Dis. 2019 Mar 7;68(Supplement_2):S59-S66. PMC6405275.

Laurens MB. The promise of a malaria vaccine—are we closer? Annual Review of Microbiology. 2018 Sep 8;72:273-292.

View a complete list of Dr. Laurens' publications