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Breakthroughs Blog

Breakthroughs Blog

Latest from the Breakthroughs Blog

Breakthroughs brings you stories of bright ideas and bold innovations in global health.

PATH/Matthew Dakin
March 24, 2025

Research Roundup: Novel antibody development deal, New fungi-killing compound, Drug discovery platform

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week.

Written by Hannah Sachs-Wetstone / GHTC
Read time:
Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. Last week, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced a $43.5 million deal with AstraZeneca to further the development of novel antibodies designed to target four pandemic influenza virus strains, which could reduce costs and improve access to monoclonal antibody treatments. The antibodies, called VHH, have unique potential to be a key medical countermeasure in the event of an influenza pandemic, and this investment marks the first time they are being looked at for pandemic flu protection, although they are currently being studied as a potential tool to address chronic diseases, including cancers. If proven effective down the line, VHH antibodies could serve as a stopgap in the case of an influenza pandemic before vaccines can be widely rolled out.A team of Chinese researchers has discovered a bacterial compound that can kill infectious fungi, including antifungal-resistant strains, as antimicrobial resistance, including resistance to antifungals, continues to rise around the world. The compound, mandimycin, was effective against World Health Organization fungal priority pathogens Candida auris, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Aspergillus fumigatus in lab tests and was able to treat an antifungal-resistant Candida auris strain in mice. The compound also seemed less likely than other compounds to lead to the development of resistance in the fungi exposed to it, underscoring its potential as a key tool to address this growing global public health crisis.Last week, the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and deepmirror announced a new disease-agnostic platform, Drug Design for Global Health, designed to accelerate drug discovery through machine learning and artificial intelligence in low- and middle-income countries. The partners aim to bolster global health security by speeding up the development of new drugs for a variety of significant diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases. Specifically, the platform aims to eliminate financial barriers for scientists in low- and middle-income countries and give them access to cutting-edge technology, enabling them to drive innovation in drug discovery research efforts.

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PATH/Matthew Dakin
March 24, 2025

Research Roundup: Novel antibody development deal, New fungi-killing compound, Drug discovery platform

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week.

Written by Hannah Sachs-Wetstone / GHTC
Read time:
Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. Last week, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced a $43.5 million deal with AstraZeneca to further the development of novel antibodies designed to target four pandemic influenza virus strains, which could reduce costs and improve access to monoclonal antibody treatments. The antibodies, called VHH, have unique potential to be a key medical countermeasure in the event of an influenza pandemic, and this investment marks the first time they are being looked at for pandemic flu protection, although they are currently being studied as a potential tool to address chronic diseases, including cancers. If proven effective down the line, VHH antibodies could serve as a stopgap in the case of an influenza pandemic before vaccines can be widely rolled out.A team of Chinese researchers has discovered a bacterial compound that can kill infectious fungi, including antifungal-resistant strains, as antimicrobial resistance, including resistance to antifungals, continues to rise around the world. The compound, mandimycin, was effective against World Health Organization fungal priority pathogens Candida auris, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Aspergillus fumigatus in lab tests and was able to treat an antifungal-resistant Candida auris strain in mice. The compound also seemed less likely than other compounds to lead to the development of resistance in the fungi exposed to it, underscoring its potential as a key tool to address this growing global public health crisis.Last week, the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and deepmirror announced a new disease-agnostic platform, Drug Design for Global Health, designed to accelerate drug discovery through machine learning and artificial intelligence in low- and middle-income countries. The partners aim to bolster global health security by speeding up the development of new drugs for a variety of significant diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases. Specifically, the platform aims to eliminate financial barriers for scientists in low- and middle-income countries and give them access to cutting-edge technology, enabling them to drive innovation in drug discovery research efforts.
PATH/Georgina Goodwin
March 20, 2025

World TB Day 2025 quiz: Innovating to end TB

How much do you know about innovations to combat tuberculosis (TB)? Take our World TB Day quiz to find out.

Written by Hannah Sachs-Wetstone / GHTC
Written by Anna Kovacevich / GHTC
Read time:
In 2023, tuberculosis (TB) retook the spot as the world’s leading infectious disease killer from COVID-19, claiming the lives of around 1.25 million people that year. Insufficient and inadequate tools and treatments and growing drug resistance have challenged global efforts to bring the TB epidemic to an end. In 2023, approximately 8.2 million people were newly diagnosed with TB, the highest number recorded since the World Health Organization (WHO) began global TB monitoring in 1995. At the same time, global funding for TB diagnostic, treatment, and prevention services fell in 2023 and globally, TB research remains greatly underfunded, with only 24 percent of the $5 billion annual target reached in 2023. Scientists hope that the tide can be turned as new technologies and innovations advance to market—but to achieve that, more investment is urgently needed to boost resources and reverse setbacks. In recognition of World TB Day, test your knowledge of innovations to end TB with GHTC’s quiz: 
PATH/Manshun Lai
March 17, 2025

Research Roundup: Male birth control pill, 5-strain meningitis vaccine, Once-yearly HIV prevention shot

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week.

Written by Hannah Sachs-Wetstone / GHTC
Read time:
Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. An experimental hormone-free birth control pill for men appears to be safe and well-tolerated in an early-stage, in-human study and successfully prevented sperm production in mammal studies. The drug, YCT-529, is being developed by YourChoice Therapeutics and Quotient Sciences and works by interfering with the vitamin A signaling necessary for sperm production. There are no male birth control pills available, but, in the future, an option like YCT-529 could help prevent unwanted pregnancies and reduce the burden traditionally placed on women for contraception.Last week, an international team of researchers reported that their Phase 3 clinical trial found that a vaccine that protects against five strains of meningitis is safe and effective, a finding that supports is use in routine childhood immunization programs in high-burden countries. The trial was conducted in babies and toddlers in Mali, one of the countries in the sub-Saharan African meningitis belt, so-called because of its high incidence rates and regular large-scale epidemics of meningitis. Previous trials demonstrated positive results for the vaccine in children over 12 months and adults. The vaccine could be a game-changer for meningitis control, and its affordability would also enable broad scale-up.Gilead recently published early data suggesting that a new formulation of its drug, lenacapavir, could be used to prevent HIV infection with just one shot per year. These exciting results follow data published last year that the drug could provide virtually complete protection with a twice-a-year shot. Reducing the dosage even further will only improve adherence by reducing the cost and burden on those taking the drug and their health care providers. The two-dose formulation of the drug is already under regulatory review, but Gilead is planning a Phase 3 trial of the once-yearly version to begin later this year.
PATH/Georgina Goodwin
March 10, 2025

Research Roundup: Malaria discovery, Wastewater sampling studies, Child-friendly schistosomiasis treatment rollout

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week.

Written by Hannah Sachs-Wetstone / GHTC
Read time:
Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. A research team at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has discovered a key process that could provide new insight into designing more effective antimalarial drugs, as rising antimicrobial resistance complicates the ongoing global fight against malaria by rendering current drugs less effective. One promising strategy to combat poor absorption or retention of drugs in the body is the use of prodrugs that can offer a more targeted attack. However, these prodrugs need to be activated, typically by an enzyme. By identifying the primary enzyme that activates multiple antimalarial drugs, these new findings could enable the development of prodrugs for malaria, which, by design, would also be less likely to lead to the emergence of drug resistance.New research shows that wastewater sampling, including in sewer systems and on airplanes, could predict new viral and bacterial outbreaks and the emergence of new variants of pathogens weeks or even months before they become widespread, in addition to being less invasive, more efficient, and faster than current methods. A new study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demonstrates how it was able to use wastewater sampling to detect the presence of avian flu in 2022 weeks before the virus was detected in poultry and then wild bird populations. Widespread and regular wastewater sampling would enable public health authorities to better surveil population and community health and, on a more micro level, help health care providers provide more accurate diagnoses and care for patients.  Last week, the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium announced the first administration of its new pediatric schistosomiasis treatment to a preschool-aged child in Uganda, marking a critical step toward closing the long-standing treatment gap for young children for this parasitic disease, which affects millions of children in sub-Saharan Africa. The innovative therapy, designed specifically for children between three months and six years, is also child-friendly, palatable, and heat-stable, making it especially well-suited for this population and region. The rollout is part of a program aimed at integrating the treatment into health care systems and preparing for its broader rollout across the region, starting with Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Tanzania, and Senegal.