News

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. Recently published research found that a new, noninvasive test for malaria could provide a more reliable, safer, quicker, and more sensitive diagnostic option in low- and middle-income countries. The Cytophone, a tabletop printer-sized device, uses targeted lasers and ultrasound to detect malaria-infected cells in the bloodstream via a small, noninvasive probe placed on the back of a person’s hand. Malaria-infected red blood cells accumulate a by-product with unique properties that can be distinguished from normal red blood cells when they pass through a laser. The test, which provides results within minutes, was found to be as good or better at detecting symptomatic Plasmodium falciparum malaria infections than the current gold standard point-of-care methods for malaria testing, which require blood samples and special laboratory equipment. The next phase of testing the device will also investigate whether the device can detect and distinguish between other species.Last Tuesday, Bavarian Nordic announced the start of a clinical study of the MVA-BN® mpox/smallpox vaccine in children between 2 and 11 years old, who are highly vulnerable to infection during the ongoing mpox emergency. The study, which currently has sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo and plans to include sites in Uganda as well, is investigating the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine in children compared to adults. Last month, the World Health Organization prequalified the vaccine for adolescents between 12 and 17 years old, following the European Medicines Agency’s approval for this age group. Results from the new trial could support an extension of the current approval.Researchers have identified a novel class of antimicrobial agents known as encrypted peptides that play a key role in the immune system’s response to bacterial infections, opening up new possibilities for combating drug-resistant infections as antimicrobial resistance continues to grow as a global health threat. The immune system is traditionally thought to rely primarily on proteins explicitly linked to immune functions, but this new research reveals that other structural proteins contribute to antimicrobial defenses. Leveraging the immune system’s natural defenses through these non-immune proteins could allow researchers to develop effective antibiotic therapies less prone to resistance.

The Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) welcomes yesterday’s G20 Health Ministers’ Declaration, as well as their Declaration on Climate Change, Health and Equity, and on One Health, which elevates the importance of investments in new tools and technologies to fight infectious diseases—work that can be broadly beneficial in confronting a wide range of health threats.It was encouraging to see G20 leaders offer such strong support to the Pandemic Fund, the intergovernmental negotiating body process on a pandemic accord, and the International Health Regulations amendments made earlier this year.   GHTC strongly supports the establishment of a Coalition for Local and Regional Production, Innovation and Equitable Access centered on voluntary cooperation to promote access to vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other health technologies for neglected and infectious diseases. We are pleased to see that the health ministerial declaration explicitly highlights the need for this coalition to promote synergies with existing and potential future initiatives and to work with a wide range of stakeholders. We appreciate that there are specific callouts supporting the efforts of several of our members and partners, including the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and its African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator initiative; the Regionalized Vaccine Manufacturing Collaborative; the Pandemic Fund; PATH; Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative; Stop TB; Global Fund; UNITAID; and Medicines Patent Pool.   While the creation of the coalition is an encouraging step forward, we urge G20 nations to consider additional ways to strengthen local research capacity, including through support for research and development (R&D) hubs, distributed manufacturing, and clinical trial infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries. We also would have liked to see a stronger emphasis on equity throughout the health ministerial declaration—not just in some sections—emphasizing the urgency to address the specific needs of women, children, and other underserved populations.   Beyond placing a strong focus on local production, the Brazilian G20 presidency also elevated the linkages between climate, health, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) this year. It was encouraging to see the health equity and climate change declaration call on G20 nations to encourage and promote health R&D and stronger, more transparent partnerships between the public and the private sectors, as well as academia, affected communities, and the scientific community.   We also welcome the continued support highlighted in the health equity and climate change declaration for initiatives such as the Global AMR R&D Hub, the Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator, the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, and the International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions. Furthermore, we appreciate the declaration’s continued support for regional organizations that guide research, development, and strategies to accelerate new AMR health technologies and alternatives to the use of antimicrobials, promote equitable access and global stewardship, and maximize public investment returns. We are pleased that the declaration also emphasizes the importance of promoting equitable access to new tools, including through programs like the World Health Organization AWaRe classification of antibiotics.   We applaud G20 leaders for underscoring the linkages between AMR and the ongoing malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS epidemics, stressing the need to break down silos. However, it is disappointing to see no commitments or robust support for the financing of AMR, whether through push-pull incentive models or other specific initiatives.   As always, we urge G20 members to work with civil society to push for the successful implementation of these key principles, pledges, and initiatives, and we hope that all relevant stakeholders will work diligently toward increasing access to health 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. Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and research partners have developed an innovative antibody platform to tackle viruses like SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) that can rapidly evolve and render vaccines and treatments ineffective. The platform uses engineered nanobodies to simultaneously target multiple stable regions of the virus that are less likely to mutate, making it harder for resistance to develop. While most therapeutic antibodies target only a single viral site and can lose effectiveness within a year as viruses evolve, this platform has the potential to offer a more durable, resilient defense against these tricky viruses. It could also be potentially adapted to target other pathogens. In lab tests and experiments in mice, the platform was able to effectively target a range of variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and even the closely related SARS-CoV virus. A new research project led by researchers at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and Columbia University aims to develop a lateral flow test for diagnosing malaria at the point of care that would also enable health care workers to determine the severity of the disease and decide whether a course of treatment is necessary. While some patients with uncomplicated malaria can be treated at home, malaria can also rapidly progress and require more complicated treatment in a health care setting. Lateral flow tests for malaria diagnosis exist, but parasite counting using microscopy is needed to determine severity and that cannot be done at the point of care. The researchers, who hope to have a validated prototype by the fall of 2026, are looking to develop a portable, paper-based assay that uses a smartphone and can deliver results within minutes.   Last Monday, Roche announced that its mpox assay, Cobas MPXV, has been listed under the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Emergency Use Listing procedure, a designation that aims to accelerate the availability of and access to the test during the current global mpox emergency. The automated real-time PCR-based test detects DNA from the virus that causes mpox using a dual-target approach and previously received Emergency Use Authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration in 2022. Earlier this month, Abbot’s mpox test was also listed on the Emergency Use Listing procedure following a call by WHO for manufacturers to submit expressions of interest back in August.

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, scientists in Rwanda and partners from the World Health Organization launched the world’s first clinical trial testing a treatment for the deadly Marburg virus amid the ongoing outbreak in the country. There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines against Marburg virus, although a clinical trial of Sabin Vaccine Institute’s investigational vaccine is currently underway in Rwanda. The new trial will investigate the safety and efficacy of remdesivir and the monoclonal antibody MBP091, developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical with support from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.  At the recent G7 Joint Finance and Health Ministers’ Meeting, the Italian government announced a $21 million commitment over the next three years to the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) to accelerate the development of innovative products to prevent, diagnose, and treat drug-resistant bacterial infections. AMR is a growing public health crisis, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and there is an urgent need for international collaboration and investment to revitalize an inadequate clinical pipeline and ensure new antimicrobials, antimicrobial alternatives, and diagnostics are available for patients worldwide.Valneva and LimmaTech announced last week that their Shigella4V (S4V) vaccine has been awarded Fast Track designation by the US Food and Drug Administration. There are no approved vaccines for the Shigella bacteria, which causes shigellosis, the second leading cause of fatal diarrheal disease globally, particularly among children in low- and middle-income countries. S4V is the world’s most clinically advanced tetravalent bioconjugate vaccine for shigellosis. This designation will enable accelerated clinical development and review of the vaccine, which will be investigated in two Phase 2 trials that are expected to begin before the end of 2024.