Breakthroughs Blog

Last Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that, with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, it will allocate 70,000 doses of an approved Ebola vaccine to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is facing the largest Ebola outbreak in the country’s history. The vaccine, Ervebo, targets Ebola Zaire, the most common Ebola strain, not the Bundibugyo strain behind the current outbreak—for which there are no approved vaccines —but early laboratory and animal data suggest it may provide some cross-protection. Twenty thousand doses will be used in a Phase 3 trial to evaluate whether the vaccine offers cross-protection for Bundibugyo, while the remaining doses will be allocated to frontline health care workers, serving the dual goals of providing some protection for at-risk populations against severe illness and death during the current outbreak while gathering critical data to inform use of the vaccine in future Bundibugyo outbreaks.Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research have developed a rapid blood test that could improve detection of iron deficiency, a widespread health challenge disproportionately affecting mothers and children in low-resource settings where access to conventional laboratory-based screening methods are limited. Using a finger-prick blood sample, the test provides results within 15 minutes without the need for specialized laboratory infrastructure and highly trained health care providers. It has demonstrated strong correlation with gold-standard laboratory methods used in high-income countries and includes a built-in reference line to make the results easier to interpret. The test is currently undergoing evaluation in sub-Saharan Africa.The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) shared last week that it will dedicate $4.17 million to four research projects designed to assess whether additional vaccines currently or previously licensed against Ebola Zaire could offer some cross-protection against severe illness and death during the current rapidly growing outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola. Specifically, the funding will go to teams at the University of California, Los Angeles in the United States; the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium; the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom; and the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research in the United Kingdom. The research teams will use blood samples from vaccinated individuals to assess immune responses and potential cross-reactivity of antibody responses, helping establish and standardize antibody tests for Bundibugyo, inform interpretation of clinical trial results, and guide future strategies. These research initiatives will support trials during the current outbreak and complement ongoing efforts to develop Bundibugyo-specific vaccines. 

On August 19, Cosette Audi joined GHTC as our new US Policy & Advocacy Officer. GHTC’s Deputy Director Marissa Chmiola and Communications Coordinator Hannah Sachs-Wetstone sat down with Cosette to find more about her and her interests. 1. What first sparked your interest in the field of global health research and development (R&D) advocacy, and what inspires you about this line of work? In my first job, at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, I advocated to increase the inclusion of pregnant women and children in research. This work really opened my eyes to the persistent challenges that slow the development of new technologies to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases—especially for people living in low resource settings. I am really inspired by the potential scientific breakthroughs that we could see in the next decade. More effective vaccines, better tests, shorter courses of treatment—all of these things are possible with continued investment in global health R&D. I feel lucky to do my small part to help make these lifesaving tools a reality.  2. What drew you to GHTC?In both my previous roles, I have been at organizations that are GHTC members and have loved working with the coalition to advance global health R&D. I’m excited to now be a member of the team! 3. As you begin your role, what are you most excited to contribute and learn at GHTC?I am eager to learn from the expertise of GHTC’s members. One of my favorite things about being an advocate is translating complex technical jargon into something clear and understandable for policymakers. I look forward to really getting “in the weeds” of R&D. 4. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time outside work?I love to read, craft, and go to the movies with my husband.  

Every year, World Mosquito Day brings renewed attention to mosquito-borne diseases like malaria. But attention is not enough. What matters now is whether we are using the tools we have effectively and whether those tools will still work tomorrow. Malaria drug resistance is not new. Until the early 2000s, chloroquine was the backbone of treatment. It was widely available and highly effective until resistance spread and treatments began to fail. Health systems were caught off guard, deaths rose, and the world learned a painful lesson: once resistance takes hold, recovery is slow, costly, and measured in lives lost. Today, we are seeing warning signs again. Resistance to existing first-line drugs is emerging in parts of East Africa, the Horn of Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America. At the same time, malaria deaths rose to 610,000 in 2024, up from 597,000 the year before, a trend unfolding against a backdrop of severe financing shortfalls. Global funding reached only $3.9 billion in 2024, less than half the $9.3 billion required. Sustained underinvestment has well-documented consequences: fewer preventive measures, overstretched health systems, and reduced capacity to respond when resistance emerges. The economic case for doing more is equally stark. According to a recently published analysis, reducing malaria cases by 90 percent by 2030 could increase Africa's GDP by $126 billion and expand global trade by $80.7 billion. Now urgency matters more than ever. We cannot afford to wait for existing tools to fail before acting. In the words of Dr. Brenda Akia, Africa representative and Vice Chair of the Committee on the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women: "Malaria was killing people even when the drugs were working. Now that the drugs are failing, we are cooked if we do not act fast." Cooked, mingled and served as gourmet food at the banquet where the mosquitoes will gather to celebrate their victory over humanity. This is not an exaggeration. The impact of chloroquine resistance—the memories of the increasing death tolls, the desperation to save lives with a tool that was becoming blunt— still lingers on. The response must be twofold. We need sustained financial commitment to ensure countries can procure and deliver existing tools through their health systems, and we need investment in new tools to stay ahead of resistance. Both are essential, and neither is optional. On the innovation front, there is encouraging progress. New medicines are advancing through development to better protect those most at risk. Through the work of Medicines for Malaria Venture and its partners, triple combination therapies designed to preserve the effectiveness of existing drugs are in development. In addition, ganaplacide-lumefantrine, a novel combination therapy developed with Novartis, has completed a Phase 3 trial with positive results. Looking ahead, long-acting injectable medicines that could provide protection against malaria for up to six months are also in development. Beyond new medicines, innovations in vector control are further strengthening the fight against malaria. These include new spatial emanator repellents that can provide protection for up to 12 months and dual-insecticide nets designed to combat insecticide resistance. Together, these advances reinforce our belief that ending malaria within a generation is within reach.However, as Brazil's Minister of Health Alexandre Padilha said recently, "Innovations that are not in the hands of those who need them are no good." As was done for the COVID-19 response, we must accelerate regulatory processes for innovations. Mechanisms must be put in place to make these critical innovations affordable and accessible. The health workforce must also be trained to deploy them effectively, and civil society organizations and community groups must also lead the way in raising awareness of the threat posed by drug resistance and the need for new tools. Countries are already showing leadership. For example, Thailand is strengthening its national strategy with a focus on surveillance and resistance response. Kenya is deepening community engagement. Rwanda is investing in stronger data systems. Uganda is supporting local manufacturing. These are concrete actions, not intentions. Countries have the capacity, but they need sustained and predictable financing to deliver new tools effectively. This is the moment for malaria elimination. Progress will not be secured by innovation alone, nor by financing alone, but by aligning both with strong country delivery systems. We call on the entire global health ecosystem to unite under one final “Big Push.” It is time to turn hope into well-funded action and finally take us across the finish line to a malaria-free world.

Researchers from Stanford University and the Broad Institute have used artificial intelligence to create functional bacteriophages capable of destroying strains of bacteria that have evolved resistance to naturally occurring phages. Bacteriophages are common viruses that target and kill bacteria. The engineered bacteriophages performed comparably to naturally occurring relatives and were able to rapidly clear strains of Escherichia coli that had evolved resistance. This research could lead to the development of phage therapies capable of targeting rapidly evolving pathogens, although experts warn that safeguards are urgently needed to prevent the technology from being used for harm.A newly published study led by Oregon Health & Science University found that a one-time treatment regimen designed to be given to newborns with HIV within three days of birth permanently cleared the virus in nonhuman primates, offering hope of a way to mitigate the need for lifelong treatment for newborns infected with HIV. The therapy consists of neutralizing antibodies, standard antiretroviral therapy, and the experimental monoclonal antibody leronlimab, which, in previous studies, have failed individually to permanently clear the virus. Antiretroviral therapy is already approved, so pending the outcomes of ongoing clinical trials of the broadly neutralizing antibodies and leronlimab, the next step is to evaluate the combination regimen in people, initially in newly exposed adults.  A team of UK scientists have found in a first-in-human trial that a reformulated temperature-stable tetanus-diphtheria vaccine is comparable in safety and efficacy to two approved vaccines. Current vaccines need to be kept very cool throughout transport and storage, a very expensive and resource-intensive requirement that can lead to wasted supplies and limited access in low-resource settings. The scientists reformulated a licensed vaccine by drying it into a powder with trehalose, a sugar used by plants to survive in dry conditions, which is then reconstituted with water before administration. A larger trial is set to begin soon, which could be the last evaluation required because the original vaccine is already licensed.