Gates Foundation Commits $169 Million to PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a commitment of nearly $169 million to PATH for its Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) to develop next-generation vaccines for the disease.

MVI is working with GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals to develop a first-generation vaccine candidate that could become the first-ever approved malaria vaccine. The foundation's latest grant to PATH will support the expansion of MVI's research and development pipeline with projects ranging from early-stage laboratory research to advanced clinical testing.

MVI will work with partners to discover new antigens and adjuvants that could lead to more effective vaccines; develop new tools to select the most promising candidates for further development; and foster a more competitive vaccine marketplace. In addition, it will work to ensure that future vaccines will be affordable and accessible in developing countries by conducting market assessments, demand forecasting, and modeling studies to guide policymakers and vaccine manufacturers and partnering with vaccine makers in developing countries.

"I'm very hopeful that the malaria vaccine currently in advanced testing will be proven effective, but that will just be the first step," said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. "Now it's time to develop a new generation of vaccines that are even more effective, and could someday help eradicate malaria altogether."

“Bill Gates Announces $168 Million to Develop Next-Generation Malaria Vaccine.” Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Press Release 9/25/08.

Primary Subject: Health
Secondary Subject(s): Medical Research, International Affairs/Development
Location(s): International

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