The global roadmap for advancing development of vaccines against sexually transmitted infections: Update and next steps

Highlights - New vaccines are a major priority for global sexually transmitted infection (STI) control. - The global roadmap for STI vaccine development provides a framework for advancement. - Progress in several STI vaccine roadmap activities reinforces the way forward. - Scientific advances offer promise for development of HSV, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis vaccines. Abstract In 2014, the World Health Organization, the US National Institutes of Health, and global technical partners published a comprehensive roadmap for development of new vaccines against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Since its publication, progress has been made in several roadmap activities: obtaining better epidemiologic data to establish the public health rationale for STI vaccines, modeling the theoretical impact of future vaccines, advancing basic science research, defining preferred product characteristics for first-generation vaccines, and encouraging investment in STI vaccine development. This article reviews these overarching roadmap activities, provides updates on research and development of individual vaccines against herpes simplex virus, Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Treponema pallidum, and discusses important next steps to advance the global roadmap for STI vaccine development.