Rate My Professor Sumanta Saha

Sumanta Saha is a PhD candidate in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Dunedin, at the University of Otago within the Faculty of Medicine. He holds the qualifications of MBBS, DNB in Family Medicine, and MPH. As an international student, Saha was awarded a full PhD scholarship from Te Niwha, Aotearoa's Infectious Diseases Research Platform, which aims to enhance research preparedness for known and emerging infectious disease threats. His PhD research, supervised by Professor Peter McIntyre from the Department of Women's and Children's Health and Associate Professor Ari Samaranayaka from the Division of Health Sciences, centers on measuring and strengthening waning immunity to measles in fully immunised young adults. This addresses the challenge that vaccine-derived antibodies are typically lower in quantity and shorter in duration compared to those from natural measles infection, contributing to potential vulnerability in measles-eliminated countries such as New Zealand.

The comprehensive PhD project encompasses multiple components: a descriptive study evaluating measles antibody levels and MMR vaccination status in young adults, including university students and health care workers, to determine the prevalence of non-protective antibody titers despite complete vaccination; comparative analysis of serological assays for measles immunity screening, assessing local tests against international gold standards; a randomized controlled clinical trial, funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand, examining the immunogenicity and safety of MMR vaccine administered via alternative routes—respiratory aerosol and intradermal injection—versus the conventional intramuscular method in seronegative young adults recruited from Dunedin and Auckland; and a challenge study to establish antibody correlates of protection using aerosolized MMR as a proxy for wild-type virus exposure. Saha is affiliated with the Vaccine-related Research Group in the department, advancing knowledge on vaccine delivery innovations and public health strategies for sustained measles elimination.

Saha's research outputs include peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings. Notable publications are 'Limitations of serological screening for measles immunity in young health care workers in New Zealand' (Vaccine, 2025), 'Immunogenicity and safety of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine delivered by aerosol or intradermal routes in young adults: a phase I randomized controlled trial' (PLoS One, 2025), and 'Comparison of the effect of dietary and herbal supplements on anthropometric, metabolic, and androgenic profiles of women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and network meta-analysis protocol' (Journal of the Turkish-German Gynecological Association, 2023). Additional contributions feature abstracts on measles serology accuracy, post-MMR antibody responses via alternate routes, seronegativity patterns in health professional students, and MMR3 booster effects, presented at the Infectious Diseases & Pandemic Preparedness Summit and Communicable Diseases and Immunisation Conference (2025).