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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. Joseph Tucker, who we met at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Conference, who uses grassroots methods, like open challenge contests, to influence health messages and interventions in local communities, at the University of North Carolina. My Name: Joseph Tucker, MD, PhD. Where I work: University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  I’m funded by: National Institutes of Health  My research: My research is in sexually transmitted diseases (STD), including HIV, in low- and middle-income countries and is primarily focused on diagnostics. We are interested in having open challenge contests where we solicit ideas from the community and then select great ideas and implement them. We’ve used this open challenge approach to come up with new ideas for promoting HIV and STD testing in a wide range of contests. In many parts of China, for example, gay men hesitate to get tested for HIV and many campaigns are top-down—they’re focused on expert-driven ideas and solutions. The idea with the open challenge approach is to have grassroots ideas from local communities influence the messaging and services and, in this case, for HIV testing. We had an open challenge contest where local gay men contributed images, memes, and short messages, and those all fed into the intervention to promote HIV testing for gay men.  Motivation: There’s a huge unmet need in terms of low- and middle-income countries and diagnostics. For me, personally, I do a lot of research in China. I studied Mandarin in college…there’s a number of different links between me and the city of Guangzhou. It’s been fun to develop this line of research over the years.  Why federal support is critical: These open challenges are a very low-cost way to engage communities and add value. Many times, we hire companies and it’s a clunky, top-down, expert-based approach, but there’s so much innovation within local communities—and the US government has recognized this for many years. There are many federal agencies that use open challenge contests and, I think, this is a simple, effective way of improving global health. When I’m not in the lab: I have two sons who are seven and four months old, and they keep me very busy. 

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. Mark Kortepeter, who we met at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) Annual Conference, who does research on emerging infectious diseases at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.My name: Mark Kortepeter, MD, PhD.Where I work: University of Nebraska in LincolnI’m funded by: Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.My research: I’m an infectious disease and public health physician and I work for the University of Nebraska Medical Center. I lead what’s called the special pathogens research network, so this is a network, we have ten centers across the country, that are tied together as a research network for response to outbreaks, especially ones that are related to high consequence pathogens like Ebola. What we realized after the 2014/2016 outbreak [of Ebola], where there were patients coming into the US, was that there were a number of different investigational products that were used to treat the patients. We realized in the end that we really didn’t understand what was beneficial and what wasn’t in terms of the treatment because they were all given as individual investigational products. So the whole goal was to have a network that was tied together so we can learn more if this happens again—whether it’s Ebola or some other disease like Nipa virus or some novel influenza—so at the end of an outbreak, we would actually be able to compile data, be working off the same sheet of music, off the same protocol, to essentially advance science in understanding what works best for patients.If there are novels products that are still investigational, we would track with those—so we have some Ebola countermeasures that we have been working with…as well as if there was something new that popped up and a need to study something in real time, we could do that. In addition, if there is something for which there is no therapy, we also have the ability to follow the natural history of the disease and what clinical interventions also seem to be useful.Motivation: I got into this because I had a travel bug, and I liked the idea of doing work in infectious diseases because there is a travel component with it because you’re dealing with exotic diseases across the world. So that’s what really got me into it. I just found it fascinating working with people of other cultures.Why federal support is critical: It’s important to invest in this because we really don’t know where the next outbreak will come from…It’s possible that something will come out of left field and surprise us. So it’s very important to have some preparedness in mind, such that you can be ready for anything that comes. If you really think about it, we were all caught up with Ebola in 2014/2016, and then suddenly there is Zika virus, or we were surprised when West Nile showed up on the US shores. So we have to have a global mindset, we have to understand what’s going on outside the country as well as what can land on our shores, because we just never know what’s going to happen next. We’re all kind of one global world now in terms of infectious diseases. Infectious diseases have no boundaries or borders.When I’m not in the lab: The thing I’m really excited about right now is that I wrote a book about my experiences dealing with bioweapon defense when I worked at Fort Detrick, Maryland at the US Army laboratory there…It’s called “Inside the Hot Zone: A Solider on the Frontline of Biological Warfare.” It just came out this week. It’s written like a medical thriller, but it’s also very educational, and it gives an insider’s perspective on things like the anthrax attacks, preparation for Ebola outbreaks, dealing with Ebola in the laboratory, things like that. 

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. Drug-resistant germs sicken about three million people every year in the United States and kill about 35,000, representing a much larger public health threat than previously understood, according to an updated report released last Wednesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC previously estimated in a 2013 report that about two million antibiotic resistant infections occur every year, causing 23,000 deaths. Using previously unavailable data and by applying new methods, the CDC calculated that the 2013 estimate missed about half of the yearly cases and deaths caused by antibiotic resistant infections. Infectious disease experts say that the new numbers, though still conservative, underscore the magnitude of the problem and establish a new national baseline of infections and deaths that will help prioritize resources to address the most pressing threats. Health authorities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have introduced a new Ebola vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in an effort to combat the world’s second-worst outbreak of the virus on record. The new vaccine—which has completed phase 1 and 2 clinical trials and has been endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) —will be administered to 50,000 people in the city of Goma, on the Rwandan border. The experimental vaccine, which requires two injections eight weeks apart, will be rolled out alongside Merck’s single-dose Ebola vaccine. Merck’s vaccine has been administered to over 250,000 people since the start of the current outbreak in August 2018 through a strategy known as ring vaccination, offering the vaccine to contacts of those likely to be infected. The J&J vaccine will be provided to “targeted at-risk populations” in areas where the virus is not yet being actively transmitted, according to WHO. The European Commission granted marketing authorization to Merck’s Ebola vaccine, known as Ervebo, last Monday, making it the world’s first approved Ebola vaccine. This authorization comes less than one month after the European Medicines Agency recommended it to be licensed. A few days following this approval, Merck also received WHO prequalification, a process in which WHO assesses vaccines and other medical products in order to assure member countries that they are safe and effective. Merck said it will also continue to work with the US Food and Drug Administration and regulatory agencies in African countries to license the vaccine. Ervebo is currently being used in the DRC under a “compassionate use” or research protocol similar to a clinical trial. Merck expects the licensed doses will become available during the third quarter of 2020 and has made a commitment to make the vaccine available to countries eligible for purchasing assistance through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, at the lowest possible price.

The Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) yesterday honored Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) for their leadership in supporting global health research and development (R&D) at its 2019 Innovating for Impact Awards, an initiative celebrating the US policymakers and partnerships driving global health innovation. GHTC also recognized the partnership that developed the RTS,S malaria vaccine—the world’s first malaria vaccine—for its efforts to advance this breakthrough technology. “I want you to know how much this means to me,” Congresswoman Eshoo said in accepting her award. “But I want to salute all of you….I draw from all of you and what you do….This genius of America will move us forward….When we succeed, when we discover, when we lead, we give hope to the entire world.” Congresswoman Eshoo, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, was honored with a Congressional Champion Award for her instrumental role in establishing the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and for her efforts to strengthen the ecosystem in which the vital work of US health research agencies is carried out.  GHTC also recognized Congressman Diaz-Balart, who is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, with a Congressional Champion Award for his work to protect funding for global health programs and his sponsorship of the Global Health Innovation Act to support research programs at the US Agency for International Development. “Investments in global health R&D are so critical‒so critical‒to make the world not only a healthier place, but a safe place for all of us….The US leads the world in global health R&D…and it’s so important that we continue to support programs that are so essential to this field,” Congressman Diaz-Balart said in accepting his award.  GHTC presented the Partnership Award to Dr. Ashley Birkett, Director of the Malaria Vaccine Initiative at PATH, and Dr. W. Ripley Ballou, Vice President and Head of the US R&D Center, and Dr. Opokua Ofori-Anyinam, Director of Clinical Development, at GSK Vaccines, who accepted the award on behalf of the many partners who have supported the development of the RTS,S malaria vaccine. Developed through a unique product development partnership, led by GSK and PATH, with critical contributions from the US Department of Defense’s Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), other US agencies, and countless partners—and now in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) —; RTS,S is the world’s first, and to date, only vaccine that has demonstrated it can reduce malaria in children. Over thirty years in the making, the vaccine is now undergoing pilot implementation in three sub-Saharan African countries and has the potential to substantially contribute to malaria control efforts and save tens of thousands of children’s lives. “On behalf of PATH and our partners, we are honored to receive this award and to have contributed to advancing this important new tool to save children’s lives,” said Dr. Birkett. “A vaccine for malaria is among many innovations needed to bring an end to this devastating disease, and we proudly stand with our partners in progressing towards a malaria-free world.” “This vaccine is the result of decades of dedication and collaboration between GSK scientists and our public and nonprofit partners to harness cutting-edge vaccine science to contribute to the fight against malaria,” said Dr. Ofori-Anyinam. “GSK is honored to be recognized alongside our partners as we continue our research to tackle one of the most pressing global health challenges.” Dr. Ofori-Anyinam was joined onstage by Yvette Collymore, Communications Manager for the Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access at PATH; Dr. Mary Hamel, Lead of the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme at WHO; and Colonel Viseth Ngauy, Director of the Malaria Vaccine Branch at WRAIR, for a dialogue discussing their organizations’ contributions to advancing the RTS,S vaccine. Attendees also heard from Dr. Carrie Wolinetz, Acting Chief of Staff and Associate Director for Science Policy at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), who delivered a keynote address on behalf of NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins who had an emergency conflict that prevented his attendance.  “GHTC is thrilled to honor Congresswoman Eshoo, Congressman Diaz-Balart, and the developers of the RTS,S malaria vaccine with our Innovating for Impact Awards,” said Jamie Bay Nishi, director of GHTC. “US leadership in global health R&D has helped fuel tremendous progress in generating new cures and vaccines to fight the world’s deadliest diseases, and we’re so delighted to recognize the outstanding work of our honorees who helped make this progress possible.” Global health R&D is vital to conquering the world’s greatest health challenges and to building a safer, healthier world for all. Now in its third year, the Innovating for Impact Awards celebrates US commitment to global health R&D and honors the multisector partnerships and policymakers helping to transform breakthrough scientific research into lifesaving technologies for unmet global health challenges.