Aspro Clare Cutland

Clare Cutland is a leading South African vaccinologist and infectious diseases researcher affiliated with the University of the Witwatersrand and the Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics unit. Her work centers on maternal and infant immunization, with a strong focus on vaccine-preventable diseases in African and other low- and middle-income settings. She plays a prominent role in multicountry collaborations addressing neonatal morbidity and mortality.

Her publications highlight extensive research on Group B Streptococcus, including maternal colonization, vertical transmission, invasive infant disease, and the immunological correlates of protection, directly informing maternal vaccine development. Additional studies examine measles antibody transfer, pneumococcal vaccine dosing strategies, Lassa fever in vulnerable populations, and vaccine utilization in pregnancy, reflecting expertise in epidemiology, clinical trials, and immunogenicity.

Cutland has also contributed to advances in understanding host genetic influences on vaccine response, particularly HLA-related determinants in African populations. Collectively, her scholarship advances evidence-based maternal immunization policies, optimizes infant vaccine schedules, and strengthens the scientific foundation for next-generation vaccines targeting high-burden infectious diseases.