Co-development of the world’s first malaria vaccine and creation of an innovative, easy-to-use tool to rapidly identify a malaria-transmitting mosquito species without need for sophisticated laboratory infrastructure or specialized training.
Global Health R&D across the US government | CDC
Global Health R&D at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
What does CDC do for global health R&D?
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protects people at home and abroad through disease surveillance, rapid outbreak response, and research and development (R&D) of diagnostics, drugs, and other technologies to combat infectious diseases. Not only does CDC’s research advance new diagnostic, prevention, and surveillance technologies, it also evaluates the effectiveness of existing tools to inform their use and future R&D needs. CDC’s Global Health Center, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, and National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention lead much of the agency’s global health R&D work.
Why is CDC’s role in global health R&D important?
CDC has unique expertise and capacity to detect, track, and contain infectious disease outbreaks and develop the right technologies to advance these efforts. CDC’s work is critical to protecting Americans and people around the world from emerging epidemics, as well as monitoring the impact of current tools and global health programs to maximize investment.
Impact of Investment
CDC support has helped advance at least:
17
new global health technologies approved since 1999*
19
promising products into late-stage development*
*Includes products for neglected diseases and emerging infectious diseases, except COVID-19.
R&D investment by health area
IMPACT OF INVESTMENT
MALARIA
TB
Development of simplified, better-tolerated tuberculosis (TB) treatments through the Tuberculosis Trials Consortium, which have dramatically reduced TB treatment times and costs.
EBOLA
Development, evaluation, and distribution of rapid diagnostics for Ebola during the 2014–2015 outbreak, including a test that can provide results in as little as four minutes, as well as support for the clinical trials of the world’s first approved Ebola vaccine.
VECTOR CONTROL
Evaluation of insecticide-treated bednet durability to maximize impact and cost-effectiveness, and advancement of an innovative mosquito control approach that releases mosquitoes infected with a naturally occurring bacterium, passed to offspring, that blocks dengue and other viruses, reducing transmission across generations.
NTDs
Development of improved diagnostic tools for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including new tests for dengue, elephantiasis, river blindness, Guinea worm, and schistosomiasis.
CAPACITY-STRENGTHENING
Training of more than 20,500 disease detectives in more than 80 countries through its flagship global Field Epidemiology Training Program.