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Faces of Innovation—a new GHTC project that features scientists on the front lines of research and development on new global health tools and technologies—profiles Dr. Heinz Weidenthaler, who we met at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) Annual Conference, who developed a smallpox and monkeypox vaccine with Bavarian Nordic.My name: Heinz Weidenthaler, MDWhere I work: Bavarian Nordic, which is headquartered in Denmark and has offices in Morrisville, North CarolinaI’m funded by: Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, Centers for Disease Control and PreventionMy research: I am a medical doctor by training working for a company called Bavarian Nordic…We have done quite an extensive program in developing a smallpox and monkeypox vaccine with support of several federal agencies of the US, mostly BARDA, who has funded most of our clinical trials and helped us really tremendously throughout the development of this product. There were other contributions, NIH NIAID [National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases] provided support in specifically running several of the clinical trials that finally led to licensure of the product. The Department of Defense was incredibly helpful in running the key pivotal phase III trial, via USAMRIID [US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases]. We also have a collaboration with CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], who is using our product in a study right now in the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC].It is intended to be a safer alternative smallpox vaccine, which means it can protect the public, of course, both in America, but also on a global basis. Smallpox is a global threat, not a national threat at a given country…We received US licensure not only for smallpox, but also for monkeypox. There the global impact really comes in because the current epidemiology of monkeypox is endemic in several African countries like the DRC and Nigeria. This is something that, there will be an impact as soon as it is able to be deployed there. This is running right now with the CDC study in DRC, that could really save lives by preventing infections in these areas.Motivation: I’m a medical doctor by training and joined the pharma/biotech industry quite a while ago, and instead of just working on another blood pressure pill that would be generic a few years later, I think working in the pox virus vaccine sphere really has an impact on saving lives. And doing that with the help of government funding, in terms of a really successful public private partnership here, I think is a tremendous success, and being part of that, and helping in the clinical development of our vaccine is really a motivating thing because it just has an impact of peoples’ lives.Why federal support is critical: Global health is affecting all countries, including the US. Last year, we had these cases from Nigeria, people who were bringing cases of monkeypox, transmitting them to the UK, to Singapore, to Israel. The world is so globally connected, and infectious diseases that are endemic in sub-Saharan African countries can be anywhere in the world 24 hours later. I think this has a really huge impact on being prepared for all scenarios, and is of critical importance for the health of individuals worldwide, including the US.When I’m not in the lab: I take care of my family. I have three kids back home. I try to be there as much as possible, which is not always easy, but I enjoy the time back home with my kids. I try to do some kinds of sports as far as I find the time for that. I play volleyball quite frequently.

Faces of Innovation—a new GHTC project that features scientists on the front lines of research and development on new global health tools and technologies—profiles Dr. James Mutunga, who we met at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) Annual Conference, who does research on developing and testing new methods of controlling vector-borne diseases as well as pathogen surveillance in arthropod disease vectors at the US Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa in Kisumu, Kenya. My Name: James Mutunga, PhDWhere I work: US Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa in Kisumu, KenyaI’m funded by: US DoDThe views I express here are my own and do not and are not to be construed as official, or as reflecting true views of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense. My research: I work on surveillance for vectors—that is, arthropod disease vectors. I work in the Entomology lab in Kisumu. Under the surveillance program, we do collection of field samples of mosquitoes, ticks, mites, fleas, any arthropod that we can imagine, sandflies included—we bring them to the lab and we do pathogen testing to detect diseases that they may carry. We also do morphological and molecular identification of these vectors. Eventually, what we create is a heat map of potential pathogens in circulation and the areas they are circulating so we can advise on the areas that are high-risk and therefore give this information to the US Army for deployment purposes, and protection. The vectors we currently mostly target are mosquito vectors. These transmit malaria, dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and many other different diseases. Motivation: A couple of years ago, I worked for a research institution that primarily researches on arthropod vectors called the International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology, based in Nairobi, Kenya. And from there, my passion for mosquito research transitioned to what I undertook for my masters and my PhD. I undertook my PhD at Virginia Tech here in the US, and I worked on developing new carbamate molecules and testing them for malaria control. So that kind of invoked my passion, given that it is a disease [with] a broad burden [in] the world. That still is the focus of the work that I do, and I enjoy it.Why federal support is critical: The work we do, and the many years that the US government has invested in vector-borne disease research and control, is commendable. We still do not want to relent. We are facing challenges in vector control. We are having problems [with] insecticide resistance, we are having problems of changing vector behavior, and therefore, the investment in terms of financial support for researchers in the US—and all over the world—is more than needed. We are having challenges with the issues of climate change and habitat change—places that never used to have disease transmission are actually now having active indigenous transmission and therefore there is a need to continue investing and ensuring that policies that are being made to support this research.When I’m not in the lab: I spend time with family, friends. I like traveling, doing road trips. I also like charity work.

Faces of Innovation—a new GHTC project that features scientists on the front lines of research and development on new global health tools and technologies—profiles Dr. Katie Button-Simons, who we met at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Conference, who does research on drug-resistance in malaria at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.My name: Katie Button-Simons, PhD, MSWhere I work: University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, IndianaI’m funded by: National Institutes of Health and National Science FoundationMy research: We try to understand how malaria becomes resistant to drugs—so you want to find particular genes that control the resistance so that we can watch how those arise and spread in the field so that we can provide recommendations for local health agencies about what drugs they should be using to treat people and—more long-term—so that we can identify good targets for drug development and drugs that are already in the pipeline that will work well.Motivation: I am really interested in understanding how parasites and other pathogens evolve resistance. It didn’t so much matter to me which organism I worked on, although malaria is really interesting because it so quickly evolves resistance and does so to pretty much everything we throw at it—and not all pathogens can do that as readily. Why federal support is critical: The diseases that are common in other areas of the world are really putting a heavy burden on those areas and it really affects what people are able to do. If we can remove some of that disease pressure then we’re going to see a sort of revolution around the world. I’m really lucky to be where I am, and if I had been born in a different region of the world where I didn’t have everything that I’ve grown up with, I couldn’t be here. I see so much potential that goes unrecognized everywhere else because of the disease pressures that are in those regions. If we can get rid of those, then we can make great strides together.When I’m not in the lab: I really like hiking and soccer and reading.

Faces of Innovation—a new GHTC project that features scientists on the front lines of research and development on new global health tools and technologies—profiles Dr. Mary Kamb, who we met at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Conference, who leads the Elimination and Control Epidemiology team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria.My Name: Mary Kamb, MD.Where I work: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria in Atlanta, Georgia.I’m funded by: the US federal government. My research: I lead the Elimination and Control Epidemiology team in the Parasitic Diseases Branch. We focus on neglected tropical diseases that are able to be eliminated through one method or another, usually preventative chemotherapy, like Lymphatic filariasis and Onchocerciasis…but also diseases like Guinea worm, which don’t have a treatment but have strong public health programming that, in that case, can lead to eradication.We [CDC] work primarily with ministries of health on programs to improve programmatic implementation and surveillance. It’s very practical, on what we call program operations research or program science, to ensure and improve high-quality programs. My team is made of scientists who come from a number of backgrounds. Some are medical doctors, like me, some are epidemiologists, or social scientists, or have training in other areas. We work closely with people from our laboratory…very closely, hand in hand, and also with people who work on the drivers behind people’s behavior around programs. For example, why people would not want to participate in a mass drug administration, or why might people be fearful of using drugs or not seek care…really working across disciplines. I think it makes for a stronger program and for better understanding of all the issues around ensuring high-quality programs. Most of our work involves collaborating with partners, often other health ministries, the World Health Organization, and other international partners working on neglected tropical diseases. We also try and work with other branches and teams across CDC, for example with people working in Global Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH), immunizations, malaria, or other areas because we can learn from and support each other. Many of these areas can really inform elimination and control of neglected tropical diseases.Motivation: I worked for many years on the elimination effort of mother to child transmission of HIV and syphilis. I worked most of my career focused on HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Working in neglected tropical diseases is very interesting both because there are diseases that can be eliminated, but also because…it’s an area of great need that affects people and countries who are often living in poverty. The longer I work in public health, the more interested I am in health equity and understanding the real drivers of why certain countries are affected by diseases that we feel should be gone but aren’t necessarily gone. We have to dig deeper to find out what are those other drivers…those social issues that are affecting good health. Why federal support is critical: I think living in the United States, we might think we are immune from some of these diseases that affect other countries, but we’re not. Having people who are living healthily in other countries across our borders doesn’t just help people across the border, it helps Americans. In today’s world, diseases can cross borders so easily. Having healthier neighbors also makes for a stronger and safer world. When people don’t have to worry about diseases, they can focus on other issues that are important and making a stable community. I think that global health is such a win-win for everyone in the world. When I’m not in the lab: One of the things I really like to do is keep in touch with friends around the world…I like to keep in touch with people and travel. I also like to bird watch.