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Breakthroughs Blog

Breakthroughs Blog

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

PATH
September 22, 2025

Research Roundup: New class of antibiotics, Experimental pediatric HIV vaccine, CRISPR-based tongue swab TB 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:
An international research team led by the University of Liverpool has discovered an exciting new class of antibiotics with the potential to target some of the world’s most dangerous multidrug-resistant bacteria, including MRSA and Enterococcus faecium, as experts continue to warn of the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance. The new class, Novltex, targets a key component of bacterial cell walls that does not mutate, meaning that, unlike traditional antibiotics, it could offer long-lasting protection against antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Novltex is a synthetically designed platform, making it cheaper to produce and easier to scale up for global use than common antibiotics that utilize complex, expensive natural molecules. In studies so far, researchers found Novltex to be potent and fast-acting, even at low doses, and safe. A research team led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine has been awarded a five-year, $20.8 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the US National Institutes of Health to further the preclinical development of a promising experimental HIV vaccine for pediatric populations. Experts agree that a preventive vaccine for HIV could help turn the tide of the pandemic. Previous studies of the experimental vaccine found that it was safe and may be effective in infants, although it seems to only work in young immune systems, not in adults. The new funding will support optimization of the vaccine in preparation for clinical trials in infants in parts of the world with a high burden of HIV. Researchers at Tulane University have designed an optimized CRISPR-based tuberculosis (TB) test that uses a simple tongue swab, which, if it continues to demonstrate promise, could be a breakthrough for TB testing. Current TB tests often rely on sputum, which can be difficult to collect and which not everyone can produce, and require sophisticated laboratory equipment and skilled health care workers, leading to gaps in diagnosis, particularly in low-resource settings. The researchers built on a previous CRISPR-based TB test, developing an assay that they found to be highly effective using tongue swabs and also highly sensitive in detecting TB in respiratory, pediatric stool, and spinal fluid samples. This painless and low-resource method could improve access to TB testing, particularly at the point of care in remote and low-resource communities. 

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PATH
September 22, 2025

Research Roundup: New class of antibiotics, Experimental pediatric HIV vaccine, CRISPR-based tongue swab TB 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:
An international research team led by the University of Liverpool has discovered an exciting new class of antibiotics with the potential to target some of the world’s most dangerous multidrug-resistant bacteria, including MRSA and Enterococcus faecium, as experts continue to warn of the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance. The new class, Novltex, targets a key component of bacterial cell walls that does not mutate, meaning that, unlike traditional antibiotics, it could offer long-lasting protection against antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Novltex is a synthetically designed platform, making it cheaper to produce and easier to scale up for global use than common antibiotics that utilize complex, expensive natural molecules. In studies so far, researchers found Novltex to be potent and fast-acting, even at low doses, and safe. A research team led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine has been awarded a five-year, $20.8 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the US National Institutes of Health to further the preclinical development of a promising experimental HIV vaccine for pediatric populations. Experts agree that a preventive vaccine for HIV could help turn the tide of the pandemic. Previous studies of the experimental vaccine found that it was safe and may be effective in infants, although it seems to only work in young immune systems, not in adults. The new funding will support optimization of the vaccine in preparation for clinical trials in infants in parts of the world with a high burden of HIV. Researchers at Tulane University have designed an optimized CRISPR-based tuberculosis (TB) test that uses a simple tongue swab, which, if it continues to demonstrate promise, could be a breakthrough for TB testing. Current TB tests often rely on sputum, which can be difficult to collect and which not everyone can produce, and require sophisticated laboratory equipment and skilled health care workers, leading to gaps in diagnosis, particularly in low-resource settings. The researchers built on a previous CRISPR-based TB test, developing an assay that they found to be highly effective using tongue swabs and also highly sensitive in detecting TB in respiratory, pediatric stool, and spinal fluid samples. This painless and low-resource method could improve access to TB testing, particularly at the point of care in remote and low-resource communities. 
USAID
September 15, 2025

Research Roundup: Mpox vaccine contract, Novel antibody discovery method, Broad-spectrum antiviral research

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:
Last Wednesday, Emergent BioSolutions announced that it has received a $56 million contract extension with the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response to supply the US government with doses of a combined smallpox/mpox vaccine. The single-dose vaccine was first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2007 for smallpox and, since 2024, has been one of two approved vaccines for smallpox and mpox. The vaccine doses, which will be stored in the Strategic National Stockpile, aim to boost US preparedness for future public health emergencies. A novel breakthrough method that utilizes artificial intelligence and advanced imaging technologies to more accurately and efficiently identify therapeutic antibodies could transform the way researchers develop treatments for infectious diseases, particularly emerging diseases, by significantly accelerating research. The method reduces the time needed to identify antibodies with potential from weeks to under a day and can also accomplish this task more efficiently, requiring far fewer researchers dedicating their time to screening thousands of candidate antibodies. This could allow researchers to move on from antibody discovery to the later stages of drug and vaccine development earlier and, ultimately, bring lifesaving products to patients faster. A recently published study found promising results for a new approach to developing broad-spectrum antivirals to treat existing viral infections and maybe even to prevent infections from emerging viral threats. Broad-spectrum antivirals are treatments that could combat a wide range of viruses by hitting essential targets that are common across many different viruses. While there are broad-spectrum treatments for bacterial infections, there has not been a similar broad-spectrum antiviral treatment approved for human use, in part because the proteins on the surface of a virus vary widely and change rapidly over time. The researchers focused on small molecules called synthetic carbohydrate receptors (SRCs), which earlier studies have suggested could be a potential target for antiviral medicines. They tested 57 different SRCs against six deadly viruses from three different viral families, including the viruses behind COVID-19, MERS, Nipah, and Ebola, finding several promising SRCs that blocked cells in the lab from being affected by all the viruses, some of which also later demonstrated promising safety and efficacy results in mice. 
PATH/Georgina Goodwin
September 8, 2025

Research Roundup: Urine-based TB test, Lower respiratory tract infections test, Nasal spray for COVID

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:
Last week, Monod Bio, a spinout company from the University of Washington, announced that it has received a $1.5 million Gates Foundation grant to develop a urine-based rapid diagnostic test for tuberculosis (TB). The company aims to help fill the gap of non-sputum-based, rapid, point-of-care TB diagnostics that are suitable for low-resource settings. Most World Health Organization-recommended TB diagnostics rely on sputum, which not all patients can provide and can be logistically difficult for health care providers to collect, but current alternatives using urine and stool samples have low specificity, and current TB tests are also not available at the point of care in communities. The test will utilize the company’s NovoBodies, novel proteins designed to be highly specific and sensitive—diagnostics have primarily used natural proteins that are adapted for use in tests.  The Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) last week announced that it is awarding $1 million to Zeteo Tech to further work on a rapid, non-invasive diagnostic test that can diagnose lower respiratory tract infections, like pneumonia, using breath samples. Lower respiratory tract infections kill 700,000 children under five annually. A less invasive, rapid test could help speed up diagnosis and guide more effective treatment, particularly of drug-resistant infections, helping reduce the prescribing of unnecessary antibiotics that can fuel the rise of antibiotic resistance. Zeteo’s platform analyzes the tiny particles and droplets in breath samples to distinguish between viral and bacterial infections and assess antibiotic susceptibility.  The results of a clinical trial released last week found that a common over-the-counter nasal spray that is used for seasonal allergies could work as an antiviral against a range of respiratory infections, including influenza, RSV, and the virus that causes COVID-19. The researchers suggest that the nasal spray, Azelastine, could help block COVID-19 infections by inhibiting a key enzyme that the virus uses to replicate or by preventing the virus from latching on to the point at which the virus enters human cells. If proven safe and effective in further studies, Azelastine could serve as an easily scalable, over-the-counter prevention method complementary to vaccines and other tools, especially when a virus is spreading among a community or in high-risk situations, like when traveling or attending crowded events. The research also provides another potential target for future vaccines. 
US Department of Energy
September 2, 2025

Research Roundup: Universal flu vaccine candidate, Chagas antibody discovery, AI tool for H5N1 patient screening

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:
Last week, French biopharmaceutical company Osivax announced that it received a $19.5 million contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to further develop its broad-spectrum influenza A candidate vaccine for pandemic and seasonal flu preparedness. The vaccine is designed to target a part of the virus that is highly conserved and less likely to mutate, hopefully offering a broader, more universal immune response, and it has demonstrated promising results in early clinical trials. BARDA’s funding will support ongoing clinical development and large-scale trial and manufacturing preparation, with potential options for future funding to support Phase 2b and scale-up activities. A team of researchers at the University of Nottingham successfully produced antibodies that kill the parasite that causes Chagas disease, an important step toward the development of a much-needed vaccine. Chagas is a serious neglected tropical disease, which causes 56,000 cases and 12,000 deaths every year. The researchers developed antibodies targeting two key proteins in the parasite that were found to be extremely effective at neutralizing the parasite in a crucial developmental phase when it’s capable of infection, which is key for vaccine development.   A University of Maryland research team developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can quickly scan electronic medical records to identify high-risk patients who may be infected with H5N1 avian flu, as this year’s outbreak highlights the need for more robust screening interventions to ensure infections are not going undetected. The researchers used their generative AI large-language model to analyze the records of more than 13,000 adults who had visited the emergency department in Maryland in 2024 for acute respiratory illness and common H5N1 symptoms. With less than half an hour of human input, the model found 76 records that mentioned a lifestyle risk factor for H5N1, 14 of which were confirmed to have a recent exposure to animals that transmit H5N1. The tool highlights the shortcomings of the response to the latest outbreak and offers a potential new tool to help improve surveillance and testing in future outbreaks of H5N1 and other infectious diseases.