Stabilised mRNA vaccine technology aims to end need for frozen storage and improve access
Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) news release (2/2)
Last week, CEPI announced a partnership with Dutch biotechnology company, 20Med, to support the development of technology that could eliminate the need for frozen storage of mRNA vaccines. The initial investment of up to US$850,000 will go toward a proof-of-concept of the company’s bio-responsive polymeric nanoparticle platform technology. If effective, the technology could help make major strides in access to mRNA vaccines, which transformed the global response to COVID-19 and have the potential to address a number of other diseases but require cold storage, which creates access challenges to these products, especially in low resource settings.
Marburg vaccine shows promising results in first-in-human study
US National Institutes of Health news release (1/30)
A recent study in The Lancet found that an experimental vaccine against Marburg virus was safe and produced an immune response in a small, first-in-human phase 1 clinical trial. The candidate, cAd3-Marburg, was developed at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Vaccine Research Center and uses a vaccine platform called cAd3, which previously demonstrated a good safety profile in investigational vaccines developed for Ebola virus and Sudan virus by the center. Further trials of the vaccine candidate are planned in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and the United States, which could propel the candidate as a viable tool in the response to outbreaks of Marburg virus.
Eliminating neglected diseases in Africa: There are good reasons for hope
The Wire (1/30), features Drugs for Nelected Diseases initiative (DNDi)
2022 saw a handful of milestones in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) with Togo becoming the first country to eliminate four of the diseases and Malawi eliminating trachoma, among other achievements. However, to address the major challenges that remain, funding for the research and development (R&D) of improved treatments and diagnostics will be crucial. New medicines to treat NTDS are urgently needed as current treatments medicines are often ineffective, intolerable, or entirely absent. While promising innovations for treatments against sleeping sickness and visceral leishmaniasis, among others, are in the pipeline, collaboration and partnerships will be necessary to catalyze further innovation and development.
