PATH receives $120 million to improve vaccine research

Karen Midthun

PATH’s Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access has been awarded $120 million over 4 years by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to strengthen its work in vaccine research and development, and introduce urgently needed vaccines, according to a press release.

Several global experts have recently joined PATH’s Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access (CVIA) leadership team to help bring lifesaving and more affordable vaccines to the most vulnerable patients, especially in low-resource settings. These experts include Fred Cassels, PhD, global head of enteric and diarrheal diseases, Bruce Innis, MD, global head of respiratory infections and maternal immunization, Hersh Mehta, PhD, global head of development, and Karen Midthun, MD, global head of regulatory.

“We are excited to continue our long-standing partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop and introduce vaccines for the families and communities that need them most,” Steve Davis, president and CEO of PATH, said in the release. “We are working on vaccines against over a dozen deadly diseases and partnering with governments and companies around the world to save lives and improve health through vaccine innovation and immunization.”

According to the release, CVIA works across the entire spectrum of vaccine development and delivery — from preclinical research to vaccine introduction. The CVIA portfolio includes two dozen vaccine projects to protect against 17 infectious diseases, with an emphasis on the leading infectious disease causes of death among children such as malaria, pneumonia and diarrheal diseases.

“We’re proud of our two decades of developing and delivering vaccines that are saving millions of lives,” Davis said. “With this solid base of funding and this world-class team, PATH can do even more to combat age-old scourges and emerging threats.”

Disclosure: Davis is the president and CEO of PATH.