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David
Sack
,
MD

Professor
David Sack

Departmental Affiliations

Primary
Division
Global Disease Epidemiology and Control
Joint

David Sack, MD ’68, is working to eliminate cholera and other enteric infections as public health problems in Africa and Asia using targeted and effective vaccines.

Contact Info

615 N. Wolfe Street, Room 5537
Baltimore
Maryland
21205
US        
410-502-6733

Research Interests

International Health; cholera; cholera vaccine; Cameroon;Uganda;Tanzania;Kenya;Nigeria; rotavirus; diarrhea; Bangladesh; Gates Award; enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli; shigella; shigellosis; typhoid; International Center; epidemiology; oral rehydration solution; ORS; malaria; stopcholera; Shanchol; Euvichol; Vibrio;Global Task Force for Cholera Control;GTFCC;Rotarix.
Experiences & Accomplishments
Education
MD
University of Oregon
1969
Overview
David Sack, M.D., is a Professor of International Health at the Bloomberg School of Public Health with a joint appointments in the Department of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Sack’s research focuses on enteric infections and vaccine development for these infections. This includes development and testing of vaccines, laboratory detection of these agents, describing their epidemiology in developing country populations, developing appropriate clinical management strategies including antibiotics and rehydration methods.

Regarding vaccines, Dr. Sack has participated in the development and testing of vaccines for cholera, rotavirus, enterotoxigenic E coli (ETEC), and shigellosis. His projects are working to understand the epidemiology of cholera in Africa and Asia, Working in collaboration with UNICEF, WHO and other partners, these cholera projects improve our understanding of transmission and facilitate the use oral cholera vaccine as part of an integrated strategy for cholera control. A web site providing details on the use of oral cholera vaccine is at www.stopcholera.org.

To develop vaccines for ETEC, Dr. Sack collaborates with scientists at University of Illinois on a new approach, called MEFA (muti-epitope fusion antigens) to provide broad protection against these bacterial infections by targeting the many colonization factors and toxin antigens with a single fusion protein. The MEFA vaccine is now in the preclinical phase but soon will begin clinical trials.
Honors & Awards
Gates Award for Global Health for the ICDDRB
Independence Day Award for the ICDDRB
University of Iowa, Recipient of Distinguished Alumni Award for Achievement, 2005.
Fred Soper Lecture at the American Society of Tropical Medicine, 2007.
Donald Mackay Medal, American Society of Tropical Medicine, 2011.
Esther Pohl Lovejoy, MD, Leadership Award, University of Oregon Health Sciences, 2012.
Distinguished Alumnus, Lewis and Clark College, Portland Oregon, 2020
Select Publications
Selected publications from last 4 years.
  • Sack DA, Debes AK, Ateudjieu J, Bwire G, Ali M, Ngwa MC, Mwaba J, Chilengi R, Orach CC, Boru W, Mohamed AA, Ram M, George CM, Stine OC: Contrasting Epidemiology of Cholera in Bangladesh and Africa. J Infect Dis 2021, 224:S701-S9.
  • Ateudjieu J, Sack DA, Nafack SS, Xiao S, Tchio-Nighie KH, Tchokomeni H, Bita'a LB, Nyibio PN, Guenou E, Mondung KM, Dieumo FFK, Ngome RM, Murt KN, Ram M, Ali M, Debes AK: An Age-stratified, Randomized Immunogenicity Trial of Killed Oral Cholera Vaccine with Delayed Second Dose in Cameroon. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2022, 107:974-83
  • Bwire G, Sack DA, Lunkuse SM, Ongole F, Ngwa MC, Namanya DB, Nsungwa J, Aceng Ocero JR, Mwebesa HG, Muruta A, Nakinsige A, Kisakye A, Kalyebi P, Kemirembe J, Makumbi I, Kagirita A, Ampeire I, Mutegeki D, Matseketse D, Debes AK, Orach CG: Development of a Scorecard to Monitor Progress toward National Cholera Elimination: Its Application in Uganda. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2023, 108:954-62
  • Seo H, Garcia C, Ruan X, Duan Q, Sack DA, Zhang W: Preclinical characterization of immunogenicity and efficacy against diarrhea from MecVax, a multivalent enterotoxigenic E. coli vaccine candidate. Infect Immun 2021.
  • Connor S, Velagic M, Zhang X, Johura FT, Chowdhury G, Mukhopadhyay AK, Dutta S, Alam M, Sack DA, Wierzba TF, Chakraborty S: Evaluation of a simple, rapid and field-adapted diagnostic assay for enterotoxigenic E. coli and Shigella. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022, 16:e0010192
Projects
Development of a Vaccine for Enterotoxigenic E coli
Mapping malaria epidemiology in Bangladesh
Vaccination Challenge Study of ACE393
DOVE Project (Stop-Cholera)
Epidemiology and Ecology of Cholera in Africa
Validation of a volunteer model of enterotoxigenic E coli (ETEC) diarrhea.