Strep A is familiar to many people in high-income countries as the cause of Strep throat but it can cause much more serious problems. Photo Credit: BSIP/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
Health AustraliaMajor Funding Boost Accelerates Vaccine Development Effort
A new philanthropic fund is investing USD 140 million to accelerate the development of vaccines against Strep A, a disease responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide each year.
“The fund comes at a critical time for the field, with several promising candidates either in or approaching phase 1 clinical trials,” said Andrew Steer, Co-Chair of the Strep A Vaccine Global Consortium, physician at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne and Global Health Director at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia.
The initiative aims to double the number of vaccine candidates in development and prepare at least one for full human clinical trials by 2030. Backed by donors including Dustin Moskovitz and Cari Tuna, the fund also seeks to improve scientific understanding of Strep A and support future vaccine deployment. More than 639,000 people are estimated to die each year from Strep A-related illnesses, while rheumatic heart disease linked to the bacterium affects more than 50 million people globally. Researchers say recent scientific progress means effective vaccines are now within reach, creating an opportunity to tackle a long-neglected global health challenge.
