Breakthroughs Blog: Research Roundup

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 new study that tested Gilead’s antiviral drug, obeldesivir, in primates given a lethal dose of the Ebola Sudan virus found that the drug may be effective in curing infections from the Sudan strain, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments. The study tested a regimen of once-daily pills for ten days. If proven effective in humans and approved, it would be the first oral treatment for any subspecies of Ebola. Moreover, the drug can be stored at room temperature and is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, especially compared to the monoclonal antibodies approved for Ebola Zaire. Previous work in cell culture also showed that obeldesivir seems to work against all known species of Ebola and the related Marburg virus. Further research could confirm the drug's use as a pan-ebolavirus therapy; however, running clinical trials will prove challenging as there are long stretches between outbreaks of Ebola Sudan, in particular.A new initiative led by Imperial College London and co-funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) aims to develop next-generation coronavirus vaccines that not only reduce disease severity but also stop viral transmission, reducing the spread of disease. The project will deliberately infect healthy human volunteers with betacoronaviruses, including the virus that causes COVID-19, to test the efficacy of vaccines that are administered via nasal spray. Experts believe this method could be more effective in triggering the highly specialized mucosal immunity that can stop transmission by directly acting at the cells lining the nose, throat, and lungs—where the viruses enter the body. The human challenge trial design of the project is also unique. Imperial College London last year announced that the world’s first COVID-19 human challenge trial was safe, paving the way for broader use of this approach.A research team has discovered an enzyme in the species of sandfly that is primarily responsible for the spread of leishmaniasis in South America that they hope will lead to the development and commercialization of targeted traps to control the insect population and reduce the spread of the disease. Leishmaniasis can be disfiguring, and the severe form, visceral leishmnasis, which mostly occurs in Brazil, can be lethal if left untreated. The researchers analyzed the genome of the Lutzomyia longipalpis, a species of sandfly native to Brazil and South America, and identified the enzyme, Terpene Synthase, which is responsible for making the pheromone used to attract mates, a discovery that could be leveraged for future control technologies.

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 at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, researchers presented exciting results from two different HIV vaccine studies that they hope will lead to an effective vaccine that can provide long-term immunity against the virus and greatly reduce the almost million new HIV infections yearly. One study found that a modification to the simian version of HIV drove monkeys to produce broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV, and the other showed promising results in encouraging the immune system’s B cells to produce broadly neutralizing antibodies. Over the past four decades of HIV vaccine research, there have many failed and halted trials, thus, all current research into HIV vaccines in now in preclinical development, animal studies, or very early human trials. Nonetheless, HIV vaccine science has consistently driven innovation and science that benefits other infectious disease efforts and global health in general, such as mRNA vaccine technology. With maintained funding and global collaboration, researchers hope to see human trials for an HIV vaccine candidate resume as soon as the 2030s.The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is providing up to $1 million in funding to Amplitude Therapeutics to test a new vaccine approach that could address some of the challenges associated with current mRNA vaccine designs and cut down vaccine development times in future pandemics to as little 100 days. The trans-amplifying mRNA vaccine approach could serve as an advantageous alternative to the currently used self-amplifying method and works by separating the RNA fragment that contains the genetic instructions for the body’s cells to make the antigen that induces the body's immune response and the fragment that teaches the body how to replicate more mRNA. The trans-amplifying approach simplifies production and saves time and resources by extending antigen supply and allowing for key components of the vaccine to be developed ahead of time, underlining its ability to speed vaccine development in future pandemics.The results from a large clinical study presented last week at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections demonstrated that the monthly dapivirine vaginal ring and daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine were safe HIV prevention methods among pregnant people, who are an estimated three times more likely to acquire HIV through sexual intercourse than similarly aged non-pregnant people. The study, which was carried out in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe by the Microbicide Trials Network, found that both methods were safe among cisgender women who started using one of them in their second trimester of pregnancy. These results fill data gaps for these two technologies, offering additional prevention options for this population.

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. The Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) last week announced $467,000 in funding to GlyProVac to develop a maternal vaccine that targets Escherichia coli, the bacteria mainly responsible for neonatal sepsis, which is the leading cause of death among infants and a particular challenge in low- and middle-income countries. The funding will specifically support the development of the vaccine candidate GPV02, which offers protection to newborns through the antibodies passed on by vaccinated expectant mothers in utero and through breast milk after birth. GPV02 uses a unique approach compared to other attempted protein-based bacterial vaccines because it involves previously undiscovered natural sugar modifications and uses BEMAP technology to allow the vaccine to imitate E. coli, preparing the immune system to recognize the bacterium in the case of future infection.Last week, the Advisory Group on Immunization Practices at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended Valneva’s Ixchiq chikungunya vaccine for some travelers and laboratory researchers at risk of contracting the mosquito-borne virus. The United States records about 100 to 200 chikungunya cases a year in people infected abroad by the virus, which is mainly found in parts of Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. The vaccine was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration last fall for adults—the first vaccine approved for chikungunya. CDC has indicated that it may later expand the recommendation for people living in US territories where the virus may spread.A new extensive, long-term analysis from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that COVID-19 vaccines induce long-lasting antibody responses, debunking previous claims that mRNA-based vaccine immunity wanes quickly. The researchers examined in over 8,000 samples collected over three years in New York City how antibody responses changed after infections, during the first series of vaccinations, during booster vaccinations, and during breakthrough infections. They concluded that the major reason for breakthrough infections is the virus evolving to evade immunity rather than waning immunity. The results will, hopefully, not only encourage people to continue to get vaccine boosters but also to continue research into new vaccines and viral variants.

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 Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the prequalification of a novel typhoid conjugate vaccine, developed through a global public-private partnership between SK bioscience and the International Vaccine Institute. Clinical trials in the Philippines and Nepal showed that the vaccine was safe to administer in infants and children as young at 6  months to two years and offered long-term protection with a single dose. As the rising global threats of climate change and antimicrobial resistance amplify the risk of typhoid, which causes between 120,000 and 160,000 deaths globally every year, this vaccine could help grow the global supply of typhoid conjugate vaccines and improve access in low- and middle-income countries through public procurement markets.Researchers have discovered a potent antibody, 95Mat5, that can neutralize a key type of neurotoxin produced by four deadly snake species in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Currently, the standard treatment for snake bites, which kill an estimated 81,000 to 138,000 people globally every year and primarily occur in low- and middle-income countries, is antivenoms that consist of a variety of animal-harvested antibodies. These antivenoms can vary in efficacy and can also cause adverse immune reactions because the antibodies they use come from animals. Continued development of 95Mat5, which was synthetically created, could lead to a new antivenom that could be used to treat bites from the world's most dangerous venomous snakes and would be less likely to cause side effects because the antibody is human-derived.FHI 360 is leading a Phase 1 clinical trial of the biodegradable contraceptive implant Casea S, the first trial for a biodegradable contraceptive implant in more than 20 years. Casea S is implanted in the arm and works by releasing a synthetic hormone to prevent pregnancy for 18 to 24 months before dissolving. If proven successful in future trials, Casea S could serve as an alternative contraceptive option in the growing toolkit of products necessary to address the diverse needs and lifestyles of contraceptive users. Currently available implants are highly effective and safe and increasingly popular. Casea S could be an even better option, especially in low- and middle-income countries where users can face barriers to receiving care, because it dissolves by itself, eliminating the need for a removal procedure by a trained medical provider.