Matthew Snape

Matthew Snape, MBBS FRCPCH MD, is a Professor in General Paediatrics and Vaccinology at the Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford Department of Paediatrics and the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Council.  He is also a Jenner Investigator, an NIHR Senior Investigator and is the Director of the National Immunisation Schedule Evaluation Consortium (NISEC: https://www.nisec.ac.uk)

Prof. Snape's primary areas of research relate to vaccines against COVID-19, meningococcal, pneumococcal, influenza, RSV and Ebola virus disease.

During the COVID-19 pandemic Prof Snape has acted as Chief Investigator on the NIHR funded 'COM-COV' studies providing unique data on the use of 'Mix and Match' COVID-19 vaccine schedules. He also led the 'Whats's the STORY' sero-prevalence study evaluating rates of COVID-19 infection in children.

In 2014/2015 he was the lead investigator on a 'first in human' phase 1 study of a candidate ebola vaccine, providing data crucial to the planning of subsequent studies in West Africa. Other projects include leading the NIHR funded 'Be on the TEAM' study enrolling 24 000 Year 12 students to evaluate the impact of immunisation with group B meningococcal vaccines on pharyngeal carriage of meningococcus, the instigation of the Global Platform for Prevention of Autoimmune Diabetes (GPPAD) in the UK and acting as a Chief or Principal Investigator on clinical trials of multiple RSV vaccine candidates.

Prof. Snape graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1993 and completed his basic paediatric training at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne before continuing his training at St Mary’s Hospital, London. While working in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at St Mary’s hospital he became interested in the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease by immunisation, and on completion of his clinical training took up a post as a research fellow (later Clinical Lecturer) at the Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford. While here he completed his post- graduate Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, awarded by the University of Melbourne in 2009. He has been employed as a Consultant in General Paediatrics and Vaccinology since 2009 and was appointed Professor in 2021.

Prof. Snape was acknowledged as an NIHR Clinical Research Network ‘Leading Commercial Principal Investigator’ in 2015 by Dame Sally Davis, Chief Medical Office, an exceptional Principal Investigator by the Thames Valley Clinical Research Network in 2016 and received a Vice Chancellor's award for Public Engagement in Research in 2016. He has published over 150 manuscripts relating to immunisation and is a member of the Meningitis Research Foundation's Medical Advisory Group.

Ongoing DPhil projects

Heterologous COVID-19 immunisation schedules

Through the COM-COV studies we are evaluating the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of schedules using multiple different COVID-19 vaccines for primary immunisation. Exploratory work includes evalauting mucosal immunity and effector antibody functions using these mixed schedules

What's the STORY

A paediatric seroprevalence study that has colleced over 3500 blood samples from nearly 3000 children, adolescents and young adults during the pandemic to evaluate seroprevelance, T cell immunity, kinetics of antibody decline and cross protection from seasonal coronavirus infections.

Be on the TEAM

A phase 4 study of meningococcal vaccination in 24 000 teenagers to determine the impact of immunisation with group B meningococcal vaccines on pharyngeal carriage of meningococci.

Infectious Content: A Mixed Methods, Comparative Study Analysing the Contextual Influence of Online Misinformation upon Paediatric Vaccine Hesitancy in the UK

A collaboration with the Oxford Internet Institute to interogate the impact of social media on vaccine hesitancy.