Gates Foundation Commits Nearly US$70 Million to Help Fight Neglected Tropical Diseases

Seattle (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Four Grants Support Development of Vaccines and Better Drugs,
and Launch of New Medical Journal

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced four grants
totaling US$68.2 million to help accelerate research on neglected
tropical diseases, including hookworm, leishmaniasis, and
trypanosomiasis, which kill or disable millions of people in the
world's poorest countries every year. One of the grants will support
a new medical journal devoted to neglected diseases.

"Many of the world's most debilitating illnesses are virtually
unheard of in the rich world. But they're a fact of life for millions
of people in poor countries," said Tachi Yamada, President of the
Global Health Program at the Gates Foundation. "We hope our
investment in solutions for these problems will spur other donors,
governments, and researchers to take action, so that we can see the
day when 'neglected' no longer applies to these diseases."

Diseases such as hookworm, leishmaniasis, and trypanosomiasis are
transmitted by parasites and worms and affect hundreds of millions of
people every year in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In
addition to causing death or lifelong disfigurement, they can stunt
children's growth and mental development.

No vaccines exist to prevent most of these diseases, and the
limited drugs that are available often can be expensive, have serious
side effects, or are becoming less effective due to growing drug
resistance. Yet there are important scientific opportunities to
develop better vaccines and new drugs. The four grants today include
the following:

- Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), to develop a vaccine to
treat leishmaniasis -- US$32 million: IDRI will develop a new
therapeutic vaccine to safely and affordably treat leishmaniasis, a
debilitating, and often fatal, parasitic disease that affects more than
12 million people in developing countries. Existing treatments for
leishmaniasis require a long course of toxic, painful, and expensive
injections. The grant supports a six-year program to develop the
vaccine and conduct clinical trials in India, Sudan, and Brazil,
countries where leishmaniasis is common.
- Sabin Vaccine Institute (SVI), to develop a vaccine for hookworm --
US$13.8 million: SVI will develop a vaccine to prevent hookworm, which
affects more than 600 million people worldwide and is a leading cause
of anemia and malnutrition among children and women of reproductive age
in many developing countries. The only method currently available to
control hookworm is repeated drug treatment, which can lead to drug
resistance. The grant supports the Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative,
an initiative of the SVI that partners with other research institutions
in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Brazil.
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), to develop drugs to
treat trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis -- US$21.3 million: UNC will
work to develop effective, inexpensive drugs to treat the late stages
of leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis. Trypanosomiasis, or "sleeping
sickness," kills 300,000 people every year in sub-Saharan Africa, and
65 million people are at risk of becoming infected. Current treatments
are expensive, difficult to administer, and often toxic or ineffective.
UNC will lead a consortium of researchers from the U.S., Europe, and
Kenya to develop new and better drugs for the two diseases.
- Public Library of Science (PLoS), to launch a new medical journal on
neglected diseases -- US$1.1 million: PLoS will launch PLoS Neglected
Tropical Diseases, a new open-access, peer-reviewed medical journal
covering science, policy, and advocacy on neglected tropical diseases.
While other medical journals have increased their attention to
neglected diseases in recent years, few journals focus on the topic.
The new journal will provide an important forum for scientists from
developed and developing countries to share the latest information on
neglected disease research.

"While medical science has advanced at breakneck speed over the
past century, research on most tropical diseases has languished,
overlooked by many scientists and most funders. I hope that these
grants will help spark a new era of accelerated research on neglected
tropical diseases," said Dr. Peter Hotez, Principal Scientist of
SVI's Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative and Chair of the Department
of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Diseases at George
Washington University. Dr. Hotez will speak on neglected diseases at
the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York City on September
21.

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation works to reduce inequities and improve lives
around the world. In developing countries, it focuses on improving
health, reducing extreme poverty, and increasing access to technology
in public libraries. In the United States, the foundation seeks to
ensure that all people have access to a great education and to
technology in public libraries. In its local region, it focuses on
improving the lives of low-income families. Based in Seattle, the
foundation is led by Chief Executive Patty Stonesifer and Co-Chairs
William H. Gates Sr., Bill Gates, and Melinda French Gates.

On the Internet:
Infectious Disease Research Institute: http://www.idri.org
Sabin Vaccine Institute: http://www.sabin.org
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: http://www.unc.edu
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases: http://www.plosntd.org
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: http://www.gatesfoundation.org
Web site: http://www.gatesfoundation.org
http://www.idri.org
http://www.sabin.org
http://www.unc.edu
http://www.plosntd.org /

ots Originaltext: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Deborah Lacy of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, +1-206-709-3400,
or media@gatesfoundation.org