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. Newly published research found that a new compound worked in test tubes and mice against infections caused by the carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) bacterium. CRAB can cause serious infections and death in critically ill hospital patients, is classed as a priority pathogen by the World Health Organization, and is resistant to many known antibiotics. The drug, zosurabalpin, was identified after screening about 45,000 small molecules with potential antibiotic properties and seems to be effective against the bacterium’s notoriously tricky structure. While research is still in early stages, the results provide hope for the potential treatment of hard-to-treat infections caused by CRAB and other bacteria.A research team used artificial intelligence (AI) to discover a new class of antibiotics for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, better known as MRSA, which kills thousands globally every year. The researchers used deep-learning models to screen approximately 12 million commercially available compounds and then conducted lab tests for around 280 of them, eventually identifying and testing in mice two promising antibiotic candidates from the same class. The research not only points to a potential treatment for MRSA but also highlights the potential of AI in speeding up drug discovery. A recent study provided insight into newly identified flu-fighting antibodies that could lead to the development of broader, more durable flu vaccines. The researchers examined the curiously strong immune responses in certain individuals after they received a trivalent flu vaccine and discovered the production in some people of a specific type of antibody that targets two dominant flu strains. By reverse-engineering their immune responses, researchers hope to improve our understanding of how to produce a vaccine that could elicit antibodies against multiple strains of the flu. While this research does not take us closer to developing a truly universal flu vaccine, these insights could lead to improved vaccines that offer better, longer-lasting protection against multiple flu subtypes.

January 4, 2024 The Honorable Charles Schumer The Honorable Mike Johnson Majority Leader Speaker United States Senate U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries Minority Leader Minority Leader United States Senate U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515 Dear Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, and Minority Leader Jeffries: The 850 undersigned organizations—representing the full breadth of diverse programs that support all of America, every day—are extremely alarmed by the possibility for very deep cuts to all of these non-defense programs (often referred to as non-defense discretionary appropriations or simply “NDD”) for fiscal year 24 (FY24) if a full-year continuing resolution were to pass. Such cuts would be disastrous for the capacity of the federal government to serve the public, assist those in need, fuel innovation, and address national and global threats. We strongly urge Congressional leadership to instead finish the FY24 appropriations process and adopt the bipartisan Senate funding framework as a starting point for final negotiations. Vital domestic and international appropriations are a small part of the federal budget—less than one-sixth—yet they fund a wide range of important programs and services that make America run and strengthen our economy. Examples include investments in: scientific and medical research; medical care for veterans; environmental protections; home energy assistance; assistance with housing and child care for low-income families; rural development; K-12 education and skills training; nutrition assistance for young children, families, and older people; financial aid for college students; infrastructure investments in things like transportation choices, sewage treatment, safe drinking water, flood control and navigation improvements; diplomacy, humanitarian aid and development; services for victims of gender-based violence; courts and reentry programs; assistance for small businesses; public safety and other programs for older people; public health; and many more. Republicans and Democrats have historically supported these programs because every state and congressional district in the country benefits from NDD investments. Walking away from these investments would be walking away from the constituents — children, families, seniors, people with disabilities, students, and workers, in rural, suburban and urban communities — Congress has taken an oath to serve. Enacting the FY24 NDD cap of $704 billion included in the Fiscal Responsibility Act by passing a full-year CR for all 12 spending bills would mean reducing NDD spending by as much as 9 percent according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The cuts would be enacted over the course of nine months or less instead of a full year, making them even more dramatic and painful. The results of these cuts would be catastrophic for the American people and violate the agreement Congress made with the White House in June to lift the debt ceiling. The full terms sheet of the debt ceiling compromise must be honored in the FY24 process. Together we call on Congress to finish the FY24 appropriations process adhering to the agreement reached on behalf of the American people, moving funding packages with the necessary funds and without including dangerous poison pill policy riders. We urge Congressional leadership to adopt the bipartisan appropriations approach the Senate pursued in July as an example of the type of across-the-aisle collaboration the American people expect to ensure the programs they rely on are funded in a manner that allows them to provide the services they need. We also ask that you come to an agreement on funding other urgent spending priorities quickly so we can turn our collective attention to FY25. Sincerely, 350.org A Better Way Services, Inc. A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing) A Place for Us, Atlantic County Women's Center DBA-AVANZAR A Safe Place Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Academy of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research AcademyHealth ACCESS Family Services, Inc Accessia Health ACT for NIH Act Now: End AIDS (ANEA) Coalition Actors' Equity Association Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Advance CTE African Methodist Episcopal Church - Social Action Commission AFSCME Council 4 CT Afterschool Alliance Ahimsa House AIDS Foundation Chicago AIDS United Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program Alchemist CDC All4Ed Allergy & Asthma Network Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM) Alternatives Incorporated of Madison County Alzheimer's Association Alzheimer's Impact Movement (AIM) Alzheimer's Los Angeles American Academy of Neurology American Anthropological Association American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research American Association for the Advancement of Science American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) American Association of Colleges of Nursing American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine American Association of Service Coordinators American Association of State Colleges and Universities American Association of University Women American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges American Astronomical Society American Atheists American Brain Coalition American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) American Chemical Society American College of Lifestyle Medicine American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists American College of Physicians American College of Preventive Medicine American Council on Education American Counseling Association American Dental Education Association American Diabetes Association American Educational Research Association American Epilepsy Society American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) American Federation of Teachers American Foundation for Suicide Prevention American Foundation for the Blind American Friends Service Committee American Gastroenterological Association American Geophysical Union (AGU) American Geriatrics Society American Heart Association American Indian Higher Education Consortium American Institute of Biological Sciences American Kidney Fund American Liver Foundation American Lung Association American Nurses Association American Physiological Society American Political Science Association American Probation and Parole Association American Psychological Association Services American Public Health Association American Rivers American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy American Society for Investigative Pathology American Society for Microbiology American Society for Nutrition American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) American Society for Reproductive Medicine American Society of Hematology American Society of Nephrology American Society of Neuroradiology American Society of Pediatric Nephrology American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene American Thoracic Society American Urogynecologic Society AMORC Anxiety and Depression Association of America Apiary Ministry Outreach Services Arab American Family Services Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence Artemis Center Arthritis Foundation Asian American Community Services Asian Services in Action, Inc. Association for Career and Technical Education Association for Clinical and Translational Sciences Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology Association for Psychological Science Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries Association of American Cancer Institutes Association of American Medical Colleges Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP) Association of Independent Research Institutes Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs Association of Minority Health Professions Schools Association of Nurses in AIDS Care Association of Population Centers Association of Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Association of Public Health Laboratories Association of Rehabilitation Nurses Association of Research Libraries Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health Association of State and Territorial Health Officials Association of the Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) Association of University Centers on Disabilities Association of University Professors of Neurology Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) Autism Society of America Autistic People of Color Fund AVANZAR AVENUES for Northeast Missouri, Inc. Barren River Area Safe Space, Inc. Battered Women's Shelter and Rape Crisis Center of Medina and Summit Counties BEING Benedictine Sisters of Florida Berrien Regional Education Service Agency Bethany House Abuse Shelter, Inc. Beyond Literacy Big Cities Health Coalition Biophysical Society Black Men's Brain Health Initiative Boys & Girls Clubs of America Bridges: Domestic And Sexual Violence Support Services Incorporated Bright Horizons Resources for Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Inc. Brighter Beginnings Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation California Consortium of Addiction Programs & Professionals California Partnership to End Domestic Violence Caring Across Generations CASEL Catholic Charities Domestic Violence Shelter Center For Family Services Center for Hope and Safety, Inc. Center for Law and Social Policy Center for Medicare Advocacy Center for Nonviolence Center for Science in the Public Interest Centers Against Violence Central New York Chapter of the National Organization for Women CFS, Corp. Chapel of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Campus Ministry Chicago Women's AIDS Project Child & Family Resources, Inc Child Care Resources Childhood Education International Children's Environmental Health Network Choices Choose Healthy Life Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Church of Scientology National Affairs Office Citizens Against Domestic Violence, Inc Citizens Against Spouse Abuse, Inc. Citrus Coffee Coalition Clayton County Association Against Family Violence Clinical Research Forum Coalition Against Rape & Abuse, Inc. (CARA) Coalition Against Rape & Domestic Violence Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation Coalition for Clinical and Translational Science Coalition for Health Funding Coalition for the Life Sciences Coalition on Human Needs Code.org Common Good Iowa Community Affairs and Resource Center Community Catalyst Community Change Action Community Servings Comprehensive Women's Service Council, Inc. Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence Connecting Communities in Action Consortium of Social Science Associations Consumer Action CONTACT Rape Crisis Center Cooley's Anemia Foundation Cornell University Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) Council of Administrators of Special Education Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Council of the Great City Schools Council on Domestic Abuse, Inc Council on Social Work Education Council on Undergraduate Research County of Sonoma Dept. of Health Services Courage Connection Domestic Violence Program Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+) Crime Victim Center Crime Victim Services Crisis Center for South Suburbia Crisis Center of Central NH Crossroads Rhode Island Cumberland Valley Domestic Violence Services cureCADASIL CureSHANK Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Dana-Farber Cancer Institute DASACC DASI - Domestic Abuse & Sexual Assault Intervention Services Dayle McIntosh Center for the Disabled Dementia Society of America Democracy Now Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) Desert Rose Foundation, Inc. Disability Law Center Disability Law Center (MA) Disability Law Center of Utah Disability Law Center of Virginia Disability Network Southwest Michigan Disability Rights Arkansas Disability Rights Center of Kansas Disability Rights Florida Disability Rights Idaho Disability Rights Iowa Disability Rights Michigan Disability Rights Mississippi Disability Rights Montana Disability Rights New Mexico Disability Rights North Carolina Disability Rights Pennsylvania Disability Rights South Carolina Disability Rights Tennessee Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC) Domestic Violence Resource Center DOVES of Gateway, Inc Drug Policy Alliance Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center Eastern Shore Coalition Against Domestic Violence EBQ Consulting, LLC ECLI-VIBES Ecological Society of America Economic Opportunity Institute Economic Policy Institute EDGE Consulting Partners Elevate Elijah Haven Crisis Intervention Center, Inc. Elizabeth Buffum Chace Center Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Emory University Employment & Employer Services (E&ES) Empower Missouri Empowerhouse enCourage Advocacy Center Endangered Species Coalition Endocrine Society Enterprise Community Partners Entomological Society of America Epilepsy Alliance America Epilepsy Foundation Esperanza United (Formerly Casa de Esperanza National Latin@ Network) Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center Family Centered Treatment Foundation Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes, Inc. Family Crisis Intervention Center Family Crisis Shelter Family Rescue Family Resource Center Inc Family Resources Federation of American Scientists Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences Fenway Health Fight Colorectal Cancer Five Horizons Health Services FL National Organization for Women Food Bank of Central New York Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) Franklin Primary Health Center, Inc. Freedom House Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) Friends Committee on National Legislation Friends of the Earth Action Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Friendship Home of Lincoln Funders Concerned About AIDS Futures Without Violence GA NOW Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence Georgia Council For Exceptional Children Georgia Mosquito Control Association Georgia-Council of Administrators of Special Education Gerontological Society of America Ginny's Safe House GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality Global Campaign for Education-US Global Health Council Global Health Technologies Coalition Global Network of Black People Working in HIV GO2 for Lung Cancer Good Days Goodwill Industries International, Inc. GRACE/End Child Poverty California Greater Orlando National Organization for Women Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, Inc GreenHouse17 Guardian Angel Community Services Habitat for Humanity Chicago Harambe Social Services Harbor House Domestic Violence Center Haven House Family Services Center HAVEN Violence Prevention and Support Services Health Care Voices Health Care Without Harm Health GAP (Global Access Project) Healthcare Alternative Systems INC (HAS) Healthy Schools Network Healthy Teen Network HealthyWomen Help and Emergency Response HelpAge USA Helping Hands United Homecare Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association Hemophilia Federation of America Higher Education Consortium for Special Education (HECSE) Hilarity for Charity (HFC) HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute HIV Medicine Association Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, JPIC-USA Homesafe, Inc. Honest Arizona Hope Charities Hope Crisis Center HOPE of East Central IL HOPE of East Central Illinois Hope of Ogle County House of Refuge Housing Action Illinois Housing Assistance Council Housing Works, Inc. Houston Food Bank Hunger Free America Hunger Free Colorado Hunger-Free PA Hydrocephalus Association IAVI International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) Idaho Interfaith Roundtable Against Hunger IDEA Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA) Illinois Alliance of Administrators of Special Education Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence Illinois Environmental Council Illinois Iowa Center for Independent Living Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Inc Indiana Recovery Alliance Infectious Diseases Society of America Innocence Project Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) Integrated Community Solutions, Inc Interfaith Health & Support Services International Association for Indigenous Aging International Chemical Workers’ Union Council of the UFCW International Safety Equipment Association International Society for Stem Cell Research International WELL Building Institute Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence Islamic Relief USA JADASA James' Place Inc. Jane Doe Inc. (MA Coalition Against SA/DV) JBWS Jewish Family Service of MetroWest NJ Jewish Women International Just Future Project Just Solutions Justice in Aging KAN-WIN Kansas Coalition against Sexual and Domestic Violence Keck School of Medicine of USC Kids Above All KnowledgePanel La Familia Unida Lafayette Urban Ministry Lake County Crisis Center Latino Christian National Network Latino Texas Policy Center Latinos for Education LEAD Coalition (Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer's Disease) LeadingAge League of Conservation Voters Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) Foundation Life Source Consultants Life Span LINCOLN COUNTY PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY Little Listeners LKLP CAC, Inc. Long Beach Gray Panthers Lorain County Safe Harbor Los Angeles Regional Food Bank Lupus and Allied Diseases Association, Inc. Lupus Foundation of America Lupus Research Alliance Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio Lydia’s House, Inc. M-CM Network Main Street Alliance Maine Center for Economic Policy Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition Management Sciences for Health Manavi March of Dimes Mary House, Inc Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence Mass General Brigham Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers - MAPS Massachusetts Organization of Educational Collaboratives Mathematical Association of America Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger Meals on Wheels America Meals on Wheels California, Inc Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County Meals On Wheels of Mercer County Meals on Wheels South Florida Meals on Wheels Wake County Mechanicville Area Community Services Center (MACSC) Medical Impact Melanoma Research Foundation MENTOR Merryman House Domestic Crisis Center METAvivor Methodist Action Program Metro New York Health Care for All Metro West Housing Solutions, Lakewood, CO Mexico Food Pantry OCO MICAH- Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing Michigan AFSCME Council 25 Michigan State University Middle Way House, Inc Miles for Migraine Mind Health Connection a NJ Nonprofit Corporation Minnesota Administrators for Special Education Missouri Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence Missouri Valley Crisis Center MO Council of Administrators of Special Education MOCSA (Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault Moms United to End the War on Drugs Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention Montgomery County PA NOW Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse Move To Amend MPact Global Action Mujeres Latinas En Accion Muscular Dystrophy Association My Sisters' Place NACEDA Naphsis National Adult Protective Services Association National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd National African American Clergy Network National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research National Alliance for HIV Education and Workforce Development (NAHEWD) National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity National Alliance for Public Charter Schools National Alliance to End Sexual Violence National Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Organization National Association for Family Child Care National Association for Hispanic Elderly National Association for Music Education National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities National Association of County and City Health Officials National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers National Association of Elementary School Principals National Association of Federally Impacted Schools National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners National Association of School Psychologists National Association of Social Workers National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter National Association of VA Physicians and Dentists (NAVAPD) National Association of Veterans' Research and Education Foundations National Ataxia Foundation National Behavioral Health Association of Providers National Bleeding Disorders Foundation National Board for Certified Counselors National Center for Health Research National Center for Learning Disabilities National Center on Adoption and Permanency National Coalition for Literacy National Coalition for the Homeless National Coalition of STD Directors National Community Development Association National Council for Diversity in Health Professions National Council for Mental Wellbeing National Council of Jewish Women National Council of Jewish Women, Pennsylvania sections National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges National Council of Teachers of Mathematics National Diaper Bank Network National Eczema Association National Employment Law Project (NELP) National Environmental Health Association National Harm Reduction Coalition National Headache Foundation National Health Care for the Homeless Council National Healthy Start Association National Hispanic Medical Association National Housing Law Project National Housing Resource Center National Indian Education Association National Juvenile Justice Network National Kidney Foundation National League for Nursing National Leased Housing Association National Low Income Housing Coalition National Multiple Sclerosis Society National Network of Public Health Institutes National Network to End Domestic Violence National Organization for Women National Organization for Women, Columbia Area National Organization for Women, Hollywood Chapter National Organization for Women, Missouri National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties National Pancreas Foundation National Parents Union National Parks Conservation Association National Postdoctoral Association National Psoriasis Foundation National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) National Rural Education Advocacy Consortium National Rural Education Association National School Boards Association National Skills Coalition National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR) National Women's Health Network National Women's Law Center Native American Disability Law Center Natural Resources Defense Council Natural Science Collections Alliance Nebraska Appleseed Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Neighbor to Family, Inc. Neighborhood Improvement Association NELCWIT NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies Neurotech Network Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence Nevada Public Health Association New Beginnings - Without Violence and Abuse New Choices, Inc. New Directions New Directions of Decatur County New Haven Healthy Start New Hope, Inc. New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, Inc. New Jersey Association on Correction New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence New Jersey Mosquito Control Association New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault New York State Against Sexual Assault New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence New York State Public Health Association New York StateWide Senior Action Council NMAC North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition North Dakota Protection & Advocacy Project North Star Advocacy Center Northeast Georgia Council on Domestic Violence, Inc. Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector Borne Diseases Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases Northern Illinois University Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center, Inc. Nourish California NREA NREAC Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs (NOVA) Oasis - A Haven for Women and Children Ocean County Office of Senior Service OCHIN Ohio Domestic Violence Network Ohio NOW Ohio NOW Education and Legal Fund Ohio Victim Witness Association, Inc. Open Arms Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services Organic Acidemia Association Our Children Oregon Our Spring Lake Store LLC Overdose Crisis Response Fund Oxfam America P.O.S.T Protect Our Stolen Treasures PA Education Association PAI Parent as Teachers Partners In Health Pasco County National Organization for Women Path to Progress Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence Pennsylvania HIV Justice Alliance (PAHJA) Pennsylvania Public Health Association People Power United PHADA Phoenix Project Pinellas County NOW PKD Foundation Placer Independent Resource Services Platelet Disorder Support Association Population Association of America Positive Women's Network - Ohio Poverty Project at the Institute for Policy Studies Power to Decide PrEP4All Prevent Blindness Prevent Blindness Georgia Prevent Blindness Iowa Prevent Blindness North Carolina Prevent Blindness Ohio Prevent Blindness Texas Prevent Blindness Wisconsin Prevention Institute Prison Project of Santa Fe Project Horizon, Inc. Project Sleep Prosperity Now Prostate Cancer Foundation Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK) Public Citizen Public Justice Center Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Quanada Rape & Abuse Crisis Service Rape and Domestic Abuse Program RDVIC REACH Beyond Domestic Violence REACH/TCC Regional Family Crisis Center Renal Physicians Association Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) Research!America Restoring Hope RESULTS RESULTS Dallas Global RESULTS DC/MD Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence RISE-NY River City Domestic Violence Center Rural Schools Association of New York State Rural Schools Association of New York State Ryan White Medical Providers Coalition Safe + Sound Somerset Safe Harbor Safe Harbor of NE KY Safe House of Southeast Missouri Safe Passage Safe Passage, Inc. Safe Place of Eastern South Dakota SAFE Shelter Center for Domestic Violence Services Safe States Alliance Safer Foundation Salem County Women's Services Samaritan House San Diego for Every Child Sanctuary for Families Sanctuary of Hope Santa Fe NOW SARA - Roanoke SARA Inc. Sarah's Friends Sarah's Inn School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences Sciences; University of California, San Diego SchoolHouse Connection Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County (CA) Second Wind Dreams, Inc. SEL4TX Senior Citizens Of Holt County Inc Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Services to Abused Families, INC (SAFE) Sexual Assault Resource Agency (SARA) Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA) Shalom Task Force, Inc. SHALVA SHE MATTERS Sheltering Wings Shot@Life Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate Sleep Health and Wellness Center, LLC Sleep Research Society SMART Recovery Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Society for Neuroscience Society for Public Health Education Society for Women's Health Research Society of Women Engineers Sojourners-SojoAction Solve M.E. South Carolina Program for Infant/Toddler Care South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault South Shore Resource and Advocacy Center Southeast CASA Program Southeastern Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases SpringHaven, Inc. ST CHARLES COUNTY HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM St. Lawrence County Community Development Program, Inc. Stand for Children Starting Point Stony Brook University Stop Abusive Family Environments, Inc. (SAFE) Stop TB USA Strategies for Youth Strategies for Youth Inc. Susan G. Komen Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council SynGAP Research Fund Tahirih Justice Center Task Force for Global Health Teach For America Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children (TED) Tennessee Justice Center The Advocacy Institute The AIDS Institute The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology The Breakthrough Institute The Bridge The California State University The Center for Child and Family Advocacy, Inc. The Center for Sexual Assault Survivors The Center for Women and Families, Inc. The Climate Reality Project: Chicago Metro Chapter The Education Trust The Exoneration Project The Family Counseling Center/Domestic Violence Program of Fulton County The Gault Center The Glynn Community Crisis Center, Inc. The Greater Boston Food Bank The Haven Shelter and Services, Inc. The Ion Center for Violence Prevention The Julian Center The Kelsey The Lighthouse The National Domestic Violence Hotline The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence The Porchlight Collective SAP The Safe Center LI, Inc. The Safe House The STARR Coalition The Susan Jolley Awareness Program The Wilderness Society The Women's Center The Workers Circle Thrive Alliance Thrive Virginia Tifton Judicial Circuit Shelter, Inc., DBA Ruth's Cottage and The Patticake House Together for Girls Transition House Inc. Transitions, Inc. Treatment Action Group Trust for America's Health Trust for Public Land Tulane University School of Medicine Turning Point Turning Point Advocacy Services Turning Point Inc. Turning Points Network U.S. Hereditary Angioedema Association U.S. People Living With HIV Caucus Ujima, The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community UMass Chan Medical School UNH SHARPP Unitarian Universalist Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice United Cerebral Palsy United Church of Christ University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine University of Rochester Upper Ohio Valley Sexual Assault Help Center, Inc. USAging Utahns Against Hunger UVA Health Valley AIDS Council VALOR VentureWell Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence Violence Free Minnesota Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance Vivent Health Voices Against Violence Voices for Progress Voices of Hope, Inc. Voices of Stephenson County wAIHA Warriors Washington Defender Association Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence Washington State Public Health Association Washington State University We are TB Wellspring West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services West Virginia University Westchester for Change Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine Wild Horse Education Wildlife Conservation Society Willow Rising WINGS Domestic Violence Intervention Program WINGS Program, Inc. Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault Womanspace, Inc. Women Aware, Inc. Women's Refugee Commission Women's Resource Center Women's Resource Center of the New River Valley, Inc. WomenSafe Wurzbacher and Associates WZA Consultant YMCA of the USA Youth and Women for Change in Eswatini Youth First Justice Collaborative YWCA YWCA Evanston North Shore YWCA Evansville YWCA Hamilton, Ohio YWCA North Central Indiana YWCA Northeast Indiana YWCA of the Sauk Valley YWCA South Hampton Roads YWCA Union County ZeroV

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. A phase 3 trial testing a new malaria drug could offer hope for addressing the burden of malaria in babies, which despite being a leading cause of death across Africa, is often underdiagnosed, mistreated, and not studied in this population. There are no malaria treatments for babies weighing under 11 pounds (about three months old or younger), whose cases also often go undiagnosed because malaria presents differently and can easily be mistaken for common childhood illnesses in children this young or they have not even been tested due to resource shortages. Clinical trials, including those for the RTS,S and R21 malaria vaccines, often exclude children under five months because of the assumption that mothers confer immunity. The ongoing trial, which is supported by the PAMAfrica Consortium and co-funded by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership and Medicines for Malaria Venture, is expected to publish results early next year.The Novo Nordisk Foundation has announced a new initiative, developed with the University of Copenhagen, that will invest up to $260 million to create new or improved vaccines for serious respiratory diseases. It is the first global vaccines initiative to solely focus on how to produce immunity in the airway itself as a way to prevent airborne disease infection. The initiative will initially focus on candidates for tuberculosis, the flu, and Group A Streptococcus. The partners hope that the new project can help to address the rise of antimicrobial resistance, which is driven, in part, by the overuse or misuse of antibiotics to treat airway infections, as well as to address the high death toll globally from these diseases.The European Medicines Agency Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recently adopted a positive scientific opinion for the investigational drug arpraziquantel for schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease that affects more than 240 million people globally, including 50 million preschool-aged children. There is no child-friendly schistosomiasis medication for preschool-aged children, despite safe and effective treatments available for both adults and school-aged children. The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund has supported the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium’s development of the drug since 2013 and is now working with the consortium’s implementation research program to prepare for the introduction of the drug in endemic African countries to ensure equitable and sustainable access in the countries where it is most needed.

Though the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to the public health emergency of international concern for COVID-19 back in May, rising COVID cases and new innovations continue to make headlines in December—exemplifying this year as one still dominated by the legacy of the pandemic but also marked by exciting advances in global health research and development (R&D). As the year comes to an end, GHTC reflects on a few of the global health innovation stories that shaped 2023. 1. COVID-19 leaves a complicated legacy of scientific achievement but growing political backlash. While we all hoped the experience of COVID-19 would usher in a new era of proactive health preparedness and improved scientific understanding, 2023 has proved that the legacy of the pandemic is complicated, and history is still actively being written. On the positive side, it has been exciting to see groundbreaking research fueled by COVID-19 funding continue to bear fruit. Applying lessons learned from the pandemic response, researchers and funders alike have sought to accelerate innovative solutions to make countermeasures easier and cheaper to produce, deploy, and administer. For example, this past year brought the announcement of the Biden administration’s more than $5 billion successor to Operation Warp Speed—Project NextGen—to deliver next-generation vaccines and treatments, as well as positive clinical results from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech trials on combination COVID-19 and flu shots, and promising research results and funding announcements regarding a variety of needle-free vaccine technologies, including those delivered via nasal spray, inhaler, pen applicator device, and oral film. Taken together, this research could fundamentally alter our approach to controlling COVID-19, as well as ultimately help more people access and benefit from vaccines for a range of deadly diseases. Yet, 2023 could also be characterized as a year of COVID-19 political backlash, particularly in the United States. Fueled by lingering anger over COVID-related public health restrictions, misinformation, and concerns over the origins of the pandemic among their supporters, the Republican-led House of Representatives spent the year calling current and former Biden administration health officials before various subcommittees to testify on their actions, putting science and public health agencies under increasing scrutiny. Additionally, the House has proposed a funding bill for fiscal year 2024 that, if enacted, would slash funding for key agencies that were at the center of the COVID-19 response, including the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as cut funding to WHO and limit funding to Chinese government-supported research institutions. Only time will tell whether these efforts ultimately prove more bark than bite or whether they will lead to harmful policies and funding cuts. 2. Attention turns to research on other pandemic and epidemic threats. The year brought no rest for the weary when it comes to emerging infectious disease threats. Alongside managing COVID-19 as a here-to-stay threat, in 2023, the world also dealt with a still-smoldering global mpox outbreak, the conclusion of a Sudan Ebola outbreak in Uganda, and outbreaks of Marburg in Tanzania and Equatorial New Guinea. With these threats looming in the backdrop, researchers forged ahead on efforts to boost future preparedness. The Sabin Vaccine Institute and IAVI launched trials for their Marburg and Sudan virus vaccine candidates, respectively. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, also announced this year that some remaining funds from COVAX, the COVID-19 vaccine delivery initiative, would be redirected toward further investigational vaccine candidates for those two deadly viruses. Over the summer, Moderna launched a phase 1/2 trial of its mpox vaccine after having begun preclinical work during last year’s major mpox outbreak. Universal influenza shots and combination COVID-19 and flu shots also saw exciting advances this year, with the National Institutes of Health launching a clinical trial testing an mRNA universal flu vaccine and biopharmaceutical company Osivax’s broad-spectrum influenza vaccine candidate showing strong results. 3. mRNA vaccine technology remains an area of growth, particularly for Africa. The success of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines has inspired a flurry of efforts to leverage mRNA technology to address other diseases and potential pandemic threats, as well as to remedy the inequity in access to new tools faced by African countries during the pandemic. BioNTech is advancing mRNA vaccine candidates for malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV, among others, and initiated in April a phase 1 clinical trial to test mRNA vaccine candidates against tuberculosis. This year, newly published research also found that a novel mRNA-based malaria vaccine was effective in animals that had already been exposed to malaria. Additionally, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations this year announced support for a variety of mRNA vaccine candidates against virus families that can affect humans, aiming to create a library of prototype vaccines that can be rapidly adapted as new viral threats emerge. 2023 saw the official launch of the mRNA vaccine technology hub in South Africa, which will pursue vaccines for COVID-19 and other poverty-related diseases to be produced for the African continent. Gavi also announced the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, which will invest up to $1 billion in boosting African manufacturing, while BioNTech opened an mRNA vaccine factory in Rwanda, which is expected to become part of a decentralized and robust end-to-end mRNA vaccine manufacturing network in Africa. The hope is that these efforts will boost the capacity of African innovators to design, develop, and produce at scale exciting new technologies to tackle diseases with a high burden on the continent and mitigate the equity challenges exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.  4. Two vaccines for malaria are now recommended. In October, WHO recommended the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford—two years after recommending RTS,S, the first malaria vaccine—adding another important tool to the world’s arsenal of malaria control interventions. Additionally, results reported in late 2023 about the pilot rollout of RTS,S showed positive findings about the lives it has already saved, making the case for a broader rollout of RTS,S and the potential of integrating R21 into multipronged efforts to fight malaria, as well as hopefully encouraging further innovation in the space. While right now supply of both malaria vaccines remains constrained, manufacturers of both vaccines have agreed to scale up production to meet global demand. 5. Two major firsts for NTDs. 2023 saw two major firsts for innovation against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which hopefully will inspire further investment to fill the growing funding shortfalls in NTD R&D. In November, the US Food and Drug Administration announced its approval of the world’s first vaccine against chikungunya, a chronic and debilitating disease that has no specific treatment, which has become an increasing global threat due to climate change. The single-dose shot was developed by Valneva. A month prior, Johnson & Johnson presented new data showing that its pill for dengue fever appeared to protect against a form of the virus in a small human challenge trial done with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, providing hope for the first-ever specific treatment for dengue, a serious disease that currently threatens about half of the world’s population, which is similarly a growing threat around the world due to climate change.  6. Setbacks and hope in HIV innovation. Last month brought disappointing news for the global health community as researchers from the PrEPVacc trial that was testing two different HIV vaccine regimens in Africa announced that the study had been shut down after an independent data monitoring committee concluded there was little or no chance the study would demonstrate efficacy. This leaves no efficacy trials underway globally for HIV vaccines.  While this vaccine outcome is certainly discouraging, in more welcome news, 2023 saw exciting developments in efforts to expand affordability and access to long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) options. In May, Indian drug company Cipla announced that a generic version of cabotegravir long-acting (CAB-LA)—the first long-acting injectable PrEP option—will be manufactured at its plants in South Africa for the first time, which could potentially offer millions of people at risk of HIV infection in Africa access to this drug. In December, GHTC had the privilege of honoring the partners, led by ViiV Healthcare, that developed and are accelerating access to CAB-LA for PrEP for their efforts to advance this groundbreaking new product that could transform global HIV prevention efforts.  2023 also saw Population Council announce that South African company Kiara Health will start producing vaginal rings for HIV prevention in the next few years, which could make the innovative tool cheaper and more readily available to women in Africa. The dapivirine ring, which has been approved by nearly a dozen countries and WHO offers women an alternative long-acting HIV prevention method that can be used discretely without a sexual partner’s knowledge or consent.  7. Urgency and awareness of AMR continues to rise. Over the summer, WHO published its first global research agenda for antimicrobial resistance (AMR), outlining topics and needed tools that researchers should focus on to address its rise. The summer of 2023 also saw the largest ever investment from a country in global AMR surveillance—£210 million from the United Kingdom to support the Fleming Fund’s activities in strengthening surveillance and workforce capacity in countries where the threat of AMR is the highest, including investing in new genome sequencing technologies. This year also saw some exciting announcements about ongoing and upcoming research to address AMR. The Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) received renewed support from G7 governments and launched three funding rounds, which elicited more than 200 applications from around the world. The Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP) announced positive results from an unprecedented global phase 3 clinical trial testing a first-in-class oral antibiotic to treat uncomplicated gonorrhea, which if approved, will be the first new antibiotic for treating the bacterial infection in decades. Beyond therapeutics, innovation in diagnostics is also essential to addressing AMR. This year, a new study found that a combination of fluorescence microscopy and artificial intelligence was shown to be effective in detecting AMR across multiple antibiotics, a tool that could help health care providers better treat patients with antibiotics and ultimately stall the rise of AMR. 8. Exciting policy developments in the United States and at WHO could boost global health innovation. At the 76th World Health Assembly held in May, member states adopted a historic resolution on strengthening global diagnostic capacity. The resolution, which GHTC advocated for alongside partners like FIND, recognizes the need for countries to prioritize access to appropriate diagnostic tests and calls upon countries to put in place national strategies to expand diagnostic testing and utilize diagnostic data in health decision-making. In November, GHTC also welcomed the introduction in the US House of Representatives of the Supporting Innovative Global Health Technologies (SIGHT) Act, legislation championed by GHTC to empower the US Agency for International Development to boost its health R&D capabilities. The bipartisan bill would create a distinct disease-agnostic program area and budget line for health R&D within the agency’s Global Health Bureau and establish a Chief Innovation Officer for Health position. For other fascinating global health news delivered to your inbox weekly and to stay abreast of developments in 2023 and beyond, sign up now to receive GHTC’s R&D News Roundup newsletter. Image credits from top to bottom: US Department of State, US Food and Drug Administration, USAID in Africa, USAID in Africa/RTI International/Patrick Adams, USAID in Africa, PATH/Georgina Goodwin, PATH/ Patrick McKern, WHO/Pierre Albouy.