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Research Roundup: New gonorrhea antibiotic, Scientists use AI to develop mpox drug, mRNA vaccine against emerging virus

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PATH/Matthew Dakin

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

December 15, 2025 by Hannah Sachs-Wetstone

A study, led by the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, testing zoliflodacin, found that the antibiotic was as effective and tolerable as the standard treatment for gonorrhea and was effective against drug-resistant strains of the bacteria, as resistance continues to rise globally. Injectable ceftriaxone is our last remaining antibiotic that works against most strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae; however, we are already seeing evidence of evolving resistance, underscoring the urgent need for new antibiotic options to treat drug-resistant cases. If approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, which is expected to make a decision soon, zoliflodacin could be used as both a first-line treatment and a last-resort option after standard treatments fail due to drug resistance.

An international team of researchers has made the first major step toward a new and improved vaccine or antibody therapy to address mpox, a dangerous virus that has been behind worrying outbreaks that have emerged around the world. Using the blood of patients with previous infection or vaccination, researchers identified 12 antibodies that could clear the virus. Then, another research team used artificial intelligence (AI) to pinpoint what part of the virus acted as an antigen for those antibodies—a process that could have taken years without the use of AI—and then engineered an antigen to elicit similar antibodies in mice, which produced antibodies that neutralized the virus when injected with it. The researchers are now working to develop versions of the vaccine antigen and antibodies that are more effective at fighting disease and also cheaper and easier to produce than existing products that use a weakened version of the related poxvirus. 

The Korean Disease Control Agency, the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), ST Pharm, and Seoul National University are partnering with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to advance a new mRNA vaccine against a deadly emerging virus, which was designed with the use of AI. Cases of the tick-borne thrombocytopaenia syndrome, or SFTS, have been reported in five Asian countries and cause severe symptoms and, in several cases, death. IVI will advance the vaccine candidate into preclinical and Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials in Korea, the first time a candidate for the virus would be tested in humans. STFS virus is also part of the Phenuivirus family; a successful vaccine against this virus could advance work to develop vaccines against other closely related viruses with pandemic potential. 

Categories: Antimicrobial resistance, Medicines, Mpox, Pandemic preparedness, Research Roundup, Vaccines

About the author

Hannah Sachs-WetstoneGHTC

Hannah supports advocacy and communications activities and member coordination for GHTC. Her role includes developing and disseminating digital communications, tracking member and policy news, engaging coalition members, and organizing meetings and events.Prior to joining GHTC,...read more about this author

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December 8, 2025

Research Roundup: Investigational Marburg vaccine doses delivered, Lassa fever vaccine trial, New rapid test for...

Written by Hannah Sachs-Wetstone / GHTC
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The Sabin Vaccine Institute has sent more than 640 doses of its investigational Marburg vaccine to Ethiopia, as the country continues to battle its first-ever outbreak of Marburg, a highly contagious and fatal disease for which there are currently no available vaccines or treatments. Soon after the outbreak was confirmed to be Marburg, Ethiopian authorities coordinated with Sabin and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which is supporting development of the vaccine candidate, to obtain access to doses for an outbreak trial. Sabin and the Ethiopian Ministry of Health have signed a clinical trial agreement under which Sabin is providing doses for a two-cohort Phase 2 open-label trial, involving health care and frontline workers, as well as direct contacts of people with confirmed infections. The vaccine is also being tested in Phase 2 clinical trials in Rwanda, the United States, Uganda, and Kenya, which will hopefully yield evidence to support its continued development and use as a tool in future outbreaks. The Oxford Vaccine Group has vaccinated the first volunteer in a first-in-human trial of its vaccine for Lassa fever, which is caused by Lassa virus, a deadly virus with significant epidemic potential. The trial, funded by CEPI, is being conducted among 31 people between 18 and 51 in Oxford, England, with a second Phase 1 trial in Ghana set to start in early 2026. The vaccine was developed by researchers at the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford and uses the same viral vector platform as the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The Lassa fever Coalition, led by the West African Health Organization, with support from CEPI and partners, is already working with vaccine developers to accelerate the development and equitable introduction of future vaccines across the West African region, which faces a significant burden of Lassa fever. A Penn State research team has developed a new rapid test that can differentiate active HIV from false positives, which could potentially accelerate the development of a vaccine for HIV. HIV vaccines in development are designed to trigger the body to produce antibodies that target key proteins on the virus’s surface. However, these proteins are also what diagnostic tests detect to confirm an infection, leading trial participants to falsely test positive for HIV, complicating diagnosis and clinical management. Researchers have to use timely and expensive multistep diagnostic procedures to distinguish between those with actual infections and these false positives. The Penn State researchers partnered with the HIV Vaccine Trials Network to test human blood samples with the new testing device, finding that it was highly effective at distinguishing between active infections and false positives and generated results in just five minutes. 
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December 1, 2025

Research Roundup: Promising dengue antiviral, Dengue vaccine approval, Experimental flu mRNA vaccine

Written by Hannah Sachs-Wetstone / GHTC
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Newly published data shows that the antiviral compound mosnodenvir, developed by Johnson & Johnson, is effective at preventing dengue infection in people deliberately exposed to the virus, which affects millions around the world every year. There are no approved treatments for dengue, and available vaccines face production and efficacy issues. Despite its promise, the future development of the drug is in flux after Johnson & Johnson halted all its infectious disease work last year. Negotiations are underway to find another company to advance the drug, which, if it continues to demonstrate potential, could be used to protect large populations during epidemics, as well as to protect people traveling to endemic areas. Last week, Brazil’s regulatory agency approved the Butantan Institute’s Butantan-DV vaccine for dengue for people aged 12 to 59. The vaccine demonstrated high efficacy in clinical trials against dengue, which causes millions of cases globally, with a substantial burden faced by Brazil. The single-dose vaccine could offer faster and simpler vaccination campaigns compared to existing vaccines. Brazil signed an agreement with WuXi Biologics to deliver approximately 30 million doses of the vaccine in the second half of next year. The results of a human-challenge Phase 2a trial published last week found that an mRNA vaccine was more effective against symptomatic and febrile flu compared to the conventional vaccine. Another trial published last week also found that mRNA flu vaccines were more effective than conventional vaccines. Beyond effectiveness, mRNA vaccines can also be made more quickly, helping ensure that vaccines match circulating flu strains. Additional studies that include older people, those with coexisting illnesses, and school-age children, who face elevated risks, will be required to ensure broad efficacy across populations.