GlaxoSmithKline and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ink new partnership to accelerate research into vaccines

Thursday, October 31, 2013

GSK and BMGF will invest a combined $1.8 million in early stage research into vaccine thermostability. Most vaccines must be kept cold and transported under constant refrigeration via a so-called ‘cold chain’ which is a significant challenge in hot, remote and resource-limited regions.

Details of the Vaccine Discovery Partnership (VxDP) under which this initiative falls were unveiled this morning at the Foundation’s Grand Challenges Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In one of the first projects to start under this initiative, GSK researchers will explore how to make adjuvants – a critical component of some vaccines – more heat stable.

“Developing a thermostable adjuvant is an important and ambitious goal. This partnership is the starting point for research into an exciting area of biomedical technology that has the potential to overcome a significant and long-standing barrier to vaccine access in developing countries,” commented Emmanuel Hanon, Senior Vice President, Vaccine Discovery and Development, GSK. “At GSK, we believe that by working together we will find innovative solutions to the world’s biggest health problems.”

Source: PharmaBiz (link opens in a new window)

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