Africa: US$220 Million Grant Boosts Hunt for New Tuberculosis Vaccines

press release

Aeras   announces today the receipt of a grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation of   up to US $220 million over five years, placing it at the forefront of a global   scientific initiative aimed at developing safe, effective vaccines against   tuberculosis, a disease that infects two billion people worldwide. One of the   world’s largest not-for-profit biotechs, Aeras is developing modern vaccines to   combat TB against the backdrop of a significant increase in drug-resistant strains.

“We are grateful to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their continued   confidence in Aeras and their support of our efforts to develop vaccines against   a disease that costs the global economy billions of dollars annually, and hits   hardest in the nations of Africa and Eastern Europe, and the emerging economic   powerhouses of Asia,” said Jim Connolly, President and Chief Executive Officer   of Aeras. “This infusion of funding must be seen as a global call to action in   response to one of the world’s deadliest diseases. It will allow Aeras to expand   upon existing partnerships in Europe, Africa, China, and around the world, and   to build new partnerships that will accelerate the development of safe and   effective vaccines. But the scientific challenges are immense, and the threat is   global. Without support for this search for new vaccines from every quarter, we   will never eliminate TB as a global health threat.”

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