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Breakthroughs Blog

Breakthroughs Blog

Latest from the Breakthroughs Blog

Breakthroughs brings you stories of bright ideas and bold innovations in global health.

PATH/Enoch Kavindele Jr.
June 23, 2025

Research Roundup: Twice-yearly HIV prevention drug approved, New antibiotic for typhoid, Low-cost malaria test

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week.

Written by Hannah Sachs-Wetstone / GHTC
Read time:
Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. Last Wednesday, Gilead announced that its twice-yearly injectable drug for HIV prevention has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, the first and only such shot for HIV prevention. The drug, lenacapavir, which is already used to treat HIV in certain populations, was found to dramatically reduce the risk of infection, providing near total protection among cisgender men and women, transgender men and women, and nonbinary people in clinical trials. The twice-a-year injection offers a significant improvement over current HIV prevention options that require a daily pill or every two-month injections, helping improve uptake and adherence by providing a more discreet, private, and less cumbersome alternative. Pricing and access plans for the United States and the rest of the world will determine the scale of lenacapavir’s impact on the broader HIV epidemic.Researchers from Cornell University have found that the antibiotic rifampin, which is already widely used, is 99.9 percent effective against Salmonella Typhi, the bacterium that causes typhoid fever, which a growing threat due to antibiotic resistance. The researchers found that S. Typhi is still highly susceptible to the antibiotic and that rifampin-resistant typhoid is extremely unlikely to emerge, despite concern due to the previous emergence of rifampin-resistant tuberculosis cases. The researchers found that rifampin may also be effective against other life-threatening diseases like bacterial pneumonia and meningitis.Newly published research found that a simple, affordable device made with strips of paper was more effective than other commonly used testing methods at detecting malaria in asymptomatic people in Ghana. Malaria testing, particularly at the point of care, is essential to malaria control in endemic areas, especially as increased uptake of the new preventive malaria vaccine lowers natural immunity, raising the need for widespread surveillance. The new test is highly sensitive, offers results in about 30 minutes, and can detect even a low density of parasites in the blood, catching malaria before a patient is sick.

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PATH/Enoch Kavindele Jr.
June 23, 2025

Research Roundup: Twice-yearly HIV prevention drug approved, New antibiotic for typhoid, Low-cost malaria test

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week.

Written by Hannah Sachs-Wetstone / GHTC
Read time:
Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. Last Wednesday, Gilead announced that its twice-yearly injectable drug for HIV prevention has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, the first and only such shot for HIV prevention. The drug, lenacapavir, which is already used to treat HIV in certain populations, was found to dramatically reduce the risk of infection, providing near total protection among cisgender men and women, transgender men and women, and nonbinary people in clinical trials. The twice-a-year injection offers a significant improvement over current HIV prevention options that require a daily pill or every two-month injections, helping improve uptake and adherence by providing a more discreet, private, and less cumbersome alternative. Pricing and access plans for the United States and the rest of the world will determine the scale of lenacapavir’s impact on the broader HIV epidemic.Researchers from Cornell University have found that the antibiotic rifampin, which is already widely used, is 99.9 percent effective against Salmonella Typhi, the bacterium that causes typhoid fever, which a growing threat due to antibiotic resistance. The researchers found that S. Typhi is still highly susceptible to the antibiotic and that rifampin-resistant typhoid is extremely unlikely to emerge, despite concern due to the previous emergence of rifampin-resistant tuberculosis cases. The researchers found that rifampin may also be effective against other life-threatening diseases like bacterial pneumonia and meningitis.Newly published research found that a simple, affordable device made with strips of paper was more effective than other commonly used testing methods at detecting malaria in asymptomatic people in Ghana. Malaria testing, particularly at the point of care, is essential to malaria control in endemic areas, especially as increased uptake of the new preventive malaria vaccine lowers natural immunity, raising the need for widespread surveillance. The new test is highly sensitive, offers results in about 30 minutes, and can detect even a low density of parasites in the blood, catching malaria before a patient is sick.
PATH/Georgina Goodwin
June 16, 2025

Research Roundup: Clinical trial for newborn sepsis treatment, H5N1 capable of airborne transmission, Campylobacter jejuni vaccine

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week.

Written by Hannah Sachs-Wetstone / GHTC
Read time:
Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. Last week, the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP) announced that a landmark clinical trial evaluating antibiotic combination treatment options for newborns with sepsis has been expanded to include hospitals across nine countries in Africa and Asia. Neonatal sepsis affects up to three million babies a year globally, a crisis that has been exacerbated by increasing numbers of antibiotic-resistant cases. The NeoSep1 trial is the first time that researchers will test whether new combinations of older antibiotics are safe and effective against treating newborns with sepsis compared to commonly used antibiotic regimens. The trial aims to provide critical data to help identify new treatments that could reduce the number of deaths and expand access to treatment.A new animal study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that H5N1 avian influenza is capable of spreading through the air, a finding that raises further concern about the ability of the virus, which continues its worrying spread among cattle populations, to cause a future pandemic. The researchers used a sample of the virus extracted from a dairy worker to infect a group of ferrets (the “gold standard” comparative animal population in flu research) that were then placed in close proximity to healthy ferrets and observed for three weeks. Three of that latter group contracted the virus without any direct physical contact with the infected ferrets, indicating that it can travel through the air, a finding that was confirmed with aerosol samples. The researchers emphasized that these findings underscore the need for continued surveillance of the ongoing outbreak.A team of researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research have been awarded £550,000 by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council to develop an effective vaccine against Campylobacter jejuni, the most common bacterial cause of infectious diarrhea, in poultry. A poultry vaccine could help reduce the rising incidence of C. jejuni human infections, which are common in young children, causing stunted growth, lifelong deficiencies, and even death. The LSHTM team has found a promising approach for developing new cost-effective vaccines, which will be furthered with the new funding.
PATH/Enoch Kavindele Jr.
June 9, 2025

Research Roundup: HIV cure research breakthrough, Pandemic-potential viruses, Malaria vaccine clinical trial

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week.

Written by Hannah Sachs-Wetstone / GHTC
Read time:
Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. A group of researchers at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, Australia have discovered a way to tackle a longstanding challenge that has eluded researchers trying to develop a cure for HIV for decades. HIV can hide in certain white blood cells, creating a reservoir in the body that can later reactivate and evade targeting by the immune system and drugs. The researchers found a way to make the virus visible using mRNA technology, an achievement previously thought impossible and a step closer toward being able to fully clear it from the body. Further research is needed to determine whether revealing the virus is enough to make it vulnerable to the immune system or whether the technology will need to be combined with other therapies, suggesting this technology is still years away from reaching humans.Recently published research examining an understudied group of coronaviruses called merbecoviruses (the same group that includes MERS) found that while most merbecoviruses are unlikely to pose a direct threat to humans, one subgroup is only one small mutation away from being able to spill over into human populations and cause a major outbreak. This subgroup of viruses, called HKU5, has been found across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, but its natural host is in Asia: the Japanese house bat. Previous research has already found one HKU5 virus that has been documented to jump across animal species. This study and its methods, specifically the use of artificial intelligence, could be used to improve further research and support the development of new vaccines and treatments. A group of scientists in Burkina Faso have successfully completed the first phase of a clinical trial testing the PfSPZ-LARC2 vaccine for Plasmodium falciparum malaria in youths between 6 and 19 years old. The vaccine, which was previously found to be safe and effective in adults, is unique and innovative because it uses genetically engineered parasites that cannot cause disease but are potent enough to generate immunity. In fact, the vaccine has demonstrated an ability to achieve higher efficacy at a lower dose and for a longer duration than existing vaccines for malaria. If proven effective in further trials, it could represent a significant game changer in malaria control efforts, reducing the burden on health care systems and increasing convenience for people in malaria-endemic countries, as well as travelers and military personnel.
PATH/Matthew Dakin
June 2, 2025

Research Roundup: Earlier childhood measles vaccine, Phase 3 trial for new antibiotic, New pandemic preparedness collaboration

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week.

Written by Hannah Sachs-Wetstone / GHTC
Read time:
Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. Recently published research found that vaccinating infants for measles earlier could help close a crucial gap in protection in those early months of life and warrants further study, especially as measles cases surge globally, underscoring the need for new and innovative approaches. The systematic review looked at 34 journal articles with data from 8,000 babies under nine months old in low- and middle-income countries, finding that maternal measles antibody rates were highest at birth before decreasing rapidly, leaving infants with low antibody rates for months before their first recommended measles vaccine dose at 9-12 months, followed by a second at 15-18 months. An earlier first dose, achieved either by giving the first dose sooner or adding a third dose before the routine two-dose schedule, could help close that critical gap in immunity.Last week, Roche announced that it is launching a Phase 3 trial of its novel antibiotic candidate, zosurabalpin, in patients with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) infections, considered one of the most dangerous and deadly antibiotic-resistant pathogens and a priority for antibiotic development. The study, expected to start at the end of 2025 or early 2026, will compare the safety and efficacy of zosurabalpin with standard-of-care antibiotics in around 400 patients with CRAB infections at sites across Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Zosurabalpin was previously shown to demonstrate high efficacy in lab tests against human clinical CRAB isolates and in mice with lung and thigh infections caused by pan–drug-resistant A baumannii.The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI) announced last week that it has signed a new agreement with the US Department of Defense’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense to enable collaboration on several projects to boost global preparedness against future disease outbreaks, including through the development of medical countermeasures. The first project will support the development of a monoclonal antibody for the Nipah virus, a deadly zoonotic disease with no approved tools to defend against it. The department will transfer doses of a Nipah monoclonal antibody, which is currently undergoing Phase 1 testing in the United States, to CEPI for a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial in India and Bangladesh, two countries that see almost annual Nipah outbreaks. These trials aim to provide critical data that could enable access to the monoclonal antibody to protect vulnerable populations during an outbreak in Nipah-affected regions and the US joint forces in a potential emergency.