Marissa Chmiola

GHTC held a Game changers in global health game night on Capitol Hill to educate Congressional staffers about the impact of US leadership in global health research and development (R&D). Our guests ate, drank, played games, and learned how US investments in global health R&D not only saves lives around the world, but also generates benefits here at home in the United States. Here are some of our favorite photos from the night: Playing "ROI: Return on Innovation" claw game to see the impressive return generated by US investments in global health R&D. These investments save lives around the world, spur US economic growth, generate cost savings, and protect Americans from disease threats.  Pulling a block from the "Agency Jenga" game to learn a fun fact about the important and unique contributions made by each US government agency involved in global health R&D. Playing "Heads Up: Puzzling Pathogens" to test whether their neglected disease knowledge is heads above the rest. In the battle to outsmart infectious diseases, pathogens may puzzle us, but R&D is the best resource we have to knock out dangerous diseases. Testing her global health research knowledge to determine whether an innovation described is a "Trick or Treatment?" We still don't have the tools needed to combat many global health challenges, but every day brings new, exciting breakthoughs. Some seem simple but others seem like science fiction. Players try to determine whether tools described are on the market or make believe. A guest spins the "Wheel of Progress" to receive a trivia question about a US agency involved in global health R&D. GHTC Director Jamie Bay Nishi talks about GHTC's mission and the critical role of global health R&D in addressing the world's most pressing health challenges. Playing "Striking out Disease" bowling to experience how changing funding levels for global health R&D impacts our ability to strike out the world's deadliest diseases. This player experienced a funding increase and was able to bowl with our jumbo ball. Playing "Race for a Cure" to learn about the global health R&D process. It takes an average of 12-15 years to develop a vaccine. This player is racing to see if she can get her vaccine through all the stages of the product development process before the clock runs out. Developing treatments, cures, and vaccines for the world’s most devastating diseases is not easy. Many challenges arise along the path from scientific discovery to lifesaving technology. A staffer from USAID shows off the agency's improved Ebola personal protective suit designed as part of the agency's Ebola Grand Challenge. Attendees visit the "Gallery of Game Changers" booth to see, touch, and taste how American investment is generating game-changing global health technologies. Guests chat with Dr. Marston, Prinicpal Deputy Director for CDC Center for Global Health's Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria to learn about the agency's work in global health research. A staffer talks with a scientist from the Naval Medical Research Center to learn how bateriophages could one day be used to heal wounds on the battlefield and in low-resource communities around the world. USAID staff show off innovations from the agency's grand challenges programs including the Odon device for obstructed birth, mosquito-repellent sandals to prevent Zika and other threats, and an improved Ebola personal protective suit. Staffers check out cookies made with naturally biofortified Vitamin A corn developed by GHTC member HarvestPlus as a sustainable way to combat Vitamin A deficiency worldwide. 

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. Tuberculosis (TB) could be eliminated by 2045 if investments against the disease are increased to US$10 billion a year, according to a panel of experts from the Lancet Commission on TB. The commission has laid out a roadmap for ending TB by investing in a range of actions including research and development (R&D), targeted prevention, and improved diagnostics. It calls for TB R&D investments to be increased from the current amount of $772 million a year to at least $2 billion a year over the next four years and estimates that for every dollar spent on TB R&D there will be an estimated $16-82 return on investment. The commission launched its report six months after the United Nations High-Level Meeting on TB to provide guidance on translating member state commitments into action and investments to eliminate the disease. The Global AMR [antimicrobial resistance] Research and Development Hub, announced during Germany’s G20 presidency in 2017 and launched at last year’s World Health Assembly, is now taking shape in Berlin. Fully financed by the German government for an initial three years as part of a $556 million 10-year pledge to address AMR, the hub was conceived as a way to help align national and international initiatives on AMR and use data to inform the research agenda. The secretariat’s initial focus is creating a dashboard to map existing R&D activities worldwide to produce information and point to gaps to guide policymakers in making investment decisions. Given the influence this mapping could have on research priorities, external advocates are pushing to ensure the hub’s activities reflect the needs of low- and middle-income countries who are not often at the forefront of setting the global AMR agenda. The US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has awarded a two-year, $10 million contract to a US biotech firm to support the development of a vaccine against Marburg, a hemorrhagic virus that has caused a number of deadly outbreaks in Africa and is considered a potential bioterror threat by the US government. The contract with Public Health Vaccines will support advancement of a promising vaccine candidate now in pre-clinical development. If the research shows the vaccine to be feasible, BARDA has the option to provide up to $72 million in additional funding to support the vaccine candidate through a phase 2 clinical trial and begin development of an additional vaccine candidate against the Sudan Ebola virus, a closely-related virus.

Two thousand eighteen was a turbulent year in global health. Between reemerging crises, breakthrough scientific discoveries, and the continued looming threat of health research funding cuts, 2018 took us on a roller coaster ride of peril and promise. Now as the year comes to an end, GHTC is taking a moment to reflect on the global health innovation stories and news that shaped 2018.Here are the highlights from our year in review:1. A long-neglected disease sees a breakthroughA patient suffering from sleeping sickness visits a hospital in DRC. PATH/Georgina GoodwinIn 2018, a revolutionary treatment emerged for a neglected tropical disease, sleeping sickness. The first all-oral drug for sleeping sickness, developed by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and Sanofi, received a positive scientific opinion from the European Medicines Agency—paving the way for the treatment to be rolled out in endemic countries in 2019. This groundbreaking treatment, known as fexinidazole, is a tablet taken once daily for ten days that treats the most common form of sleeping sickness, a disease spread by tsetse flies, which causes neuropsychiatric symptoms and can be deadly if left untreated. Current treatments for sleeping sickness require a complicated series of infusions and pills, are costly, and involve long hospital stays. Fexinidazole is a simple once-a-day pill that could reduce the logistical burdens to treating a disease for which approximately 65 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk. 2. TB captures the spotlight as new research demonstrates promiseThe world’s largest infectious disease killer finally received some well-deserved attention this year as world leaders convened the first-ever United Nations High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis, at which member states committed to closing the US$1.3 billion annual gap in funding for tuberculosis (TB) research. While time will tell whether this moment will prove a powerful catalyst or an empty promise, the science continues to advance as we wait for the politics to play catch up. This year we saw several exciting new developments in TB research. Aeras and GlaxoSmithKline released the results of a phase 2b clinical trial that showed their candidate vaccine prevented TB from developing in half of those who received it. If it succeeds in additional testing, this vaccine would represent an improvement over the existing vaccine in use and would be the first new TB vaccine developed in over a century. On the treatment side, TB Alliance and partners launched the SimpliciTB trial, to test a new all-oral drug regimen for treating both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB, known as BPaMZ, which could slash treatment times for TB by one-third or more and is projected to be markedly less expensive than current therapy. Additionally, TB Alliance was honored this year by GHTC with an Innovating for Impact Partnership Award for the development of child-friendly TB medicines, which are now available in 86 countries and counting.3. A single dose cure for malaria is approvedA patient in Zambia receives a malaria diagnostic test. PATH/Gena Morgan This year, the global health community witnessed regulatory approval of the first new treatment for Plasmodium vivax malaria in 60 years by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The new drug, tafenoquine, is a single-dose treatment developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Medicines for Malaria Venture. P. vivax malaria causes around 8.5 million infections every year in Asia, Latin America, and parts of Africa. It’s tricky to combat because the P. vivax parasite can lie dormant in the liver, where it reactivates, and can cause new episodes of malaria weeks, months, or even years after the initial infection. In a study of the treatment, 60 percent saw no relapse six months after taking the drug. Tafenoquine has been submitted for approval to the Australian regulatory authority and is slated to be submitted for approval in malaria-endemic countries. Experts hope this new treatment will accelerate the path to elimination of this mosquito-borne disease.4. Innovations show promise while the battle against Ebola rages onOne of the most disheartening stories of 2018 was the reemergence of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Ongoing conflict in the region has hampered response efforts, with the outbreak now reaching 500 confirmed cases. Yet, amidst this crisis, there is one reason for optimism: An experimental vaccine appears to be helping those it reaches. Close to 45,000 people have received the experimental rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine—the largest use of the product since a clinical trial in 2015 showed it worked. While the vaccine’s effectiveness during this outbreak has not been formally assessed, World Health Organization (WHO) officials believe it is having a major impact. The vaccine’s developer, Merck, announced last month that it has begun the process of submitting evidence to seek FDA approval, a crucial step to bring the vaccine to market. Meanwhile, new preliminary research also suggests experimental treatments deployed during the outbreak are improving survival rates, and researchers have begun clinical trials in eastern DRC to test the effectiveness of four of these experimental drugs. This research raises new hope that science may soon offer us both a vaccine and treatments to combat Ebola.5. Congress pushes back against cuts to global health and medical researchWhile the Trump Administration proposed in its fiscal year (FY) 2018 and 2019 budgets to slash funding for global health and medical research programs, in the end Congress pushed back. In March, Congress passed the FY18 omnibus, which protected, and in many cases increased, funding to key US agencies and programs that advance global health research and development (R&D). In September, Congress passed an FY19 spending bill covering the Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS), and Education departments. The bill boosted funding for medical research across the Department of Health and Human Services, with the National Institutes of Health receiving a $2 billion increase and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority also receiving modest increases.These funding bills represent a forceful rebuke by Congress of the Administration’s proposals to draw back support for global health and medical research programs and demonstrate that Congressional policymakers on both sides of the aisle want to see the US continue its leadership in advancing innovation to improve the health of those in need around the world. Given that funding for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) was maintained through a continuing resolution that expires on December 21, we now await further action by Congress to determine how FY19 funding for global health accounts at USAID will shake out.6. New vaccines give us a better shot at saving livesA healthworker in Laos prepares a vaccine. PATH/Aaron Joel Santos Two thousand eighteen was a year of innovations in vaccines. In what could be the first new polio vaccine in more than 50 years, researchers have developed a way to freeze-dry an inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) so that it can be stored at higher temperatures and reconstituted for use without losing its potency—potentially offering a new tool to help eradicate the disease. In other vaccine news, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) unveiled promising early-stage results for a tetravalent mosaic-based HIV preventative vaccine regimen. Currently in large-scale clinical trials in sub-Saharan Africa, the vaccine marks only the fifth time in history an HIV vaccine candidate has advanced to human clinical trials, offering new hope for a breakthrough in HIV prevention. Additionally, WHO prequalified new vaccines to combat typhoid and rotavirus, which is the most common cause of severe diarrheal disease in children worldwide. In January, WHO approved a new, highly effective and low-cost typhoid vaccine for global use. In the same month, it prequalified Rotavac, an oral rotavirus vaccine, and later in the year, approved Rotasiil, a first-of-its-kind thermostable vaccine to prevent rotavirus.7. Innovators strive to put greater choice in the hands of patientsOne of the exciting themes we saw across so many global health stories this year was the power of innovation to put greater choice in the hands of patients. People have unique needs, and our toolbox of global health technologies must reflect that. Several scientific developments this year promise to expand family planning choices for women and their families. The first-of-its-kind, self-insertable and removable one-year contraceptive vaginal ring received regulatory approval from the FDA; new research from Uganda showed a self-injectable form of contraception can help women overcome barriers to consistent use; and the first clinical trial was launched for a male contraceptive gel, a technology that could bring more equality to the burden of family planning. In addition, researchers are also advancing long-acting injectable forms of medicines to provide an alternative for individuals who struggle to take frequent pills. For example, HIV-positive patients may soon be able to choose whether they want to use long-acting injectable antiretroviral treatments or daily pills as a form of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, and scientists are also working on injectable formulations of medicines for malaria prevention. 8. Scientists pursue wild and weird ways to fight deadly diseases A dog in India. PATH/Gabe BienczyckiWinston Churchill once said, “No idea is so outlandish that it should not be considered.” That’s clearly a motto researchers have taken to heart, as evidenced by the number of stories we read this year about unusual and creative ways scientists are trying to fight infectious diseases. Here’s a sample of some of our favorites. One could say it’s a bacteria-eat-bacteria world out there, with researchers studying whether germ-eating microbes could be used to combat drug-resistant infections. Man’s best friend may also be man’s diagnostic tool, according to new research showing that dogs can be trained to detect malaria in people. In the future, administering a vaccine could be as easy and pain-free as putting on a Band-Aid if microneedle patches in development come to fruition. The contents of your takeout dinner might be the next frontier in HIV prevention, as scientists have developed a technique to modify a strain of rice to produce HIV-neutralizing proteins. While these ideas may seem fantastical, history has taught us that groundbreaking discoveries can come from unusual places. For other fascinating global health news delivered to your inbox weekly and to stay abreast of developments in 2019 and beyond, sign-up now to receive GHTC’s R&D News Roundup newsletter.

One of the great things about working at GHTC is that every day we get to read stories about incredible innovations in global health. Most of the technologies we read about are inventive, some are revolutionary, and a few are so unusual, one might think they were ripped from the pages of a science fiction novel. So, to enjoy a bit of fun and mischief this Halloween, we’ve created a new game, TRICK or TREATment, to test our readers’ knowledge of global health technologies. For each question, we will present a description of a global health technology. Choose TREATment if you believe this innovation exists and has market approval. Choose TRICK if you think we are trying to pull one over on you and, instead, the product is still in development or just a figment of our imagination.  Loading... (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) { var ql = document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if (ql) { if (ql.length) { for (var k = 0; k

A “who’s who” of politicians, philanthropists, CEOs, and civil society leaders descended upon New York City this week for the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)—a gathering renowned for its policymaking, pledging, and perennial traffic problems. GHTC was on the scene all week—attending side events, tuning into the official debates, and navigating police barriers—to be your eyes and ears on the ground. Here is what we heard and our top four takeaways on global health research and development (R&D): 1. We can’t end TB without new tools, so it’s vital for world leaders to marshal the political will and resources to close the TB R&D funding gap. Tuberculosis (TB) was a top topic at this year’s assembly with the convening of the first high-level meeting (HLM) on TB. Repeatedly, we heard—from advocates and policymakers, at side events and in in the official proceedings—how poor treatment options are a cornerstone of our failure to eradicate TB and of growing drug resistance, and that new vaccines and improved treatments and diagnostics will be key to turning the tide. While much attention focused on this lack of necessary tools, equal attention focused on the lack of political will and resources to end the epidemic. Many speakers lamented how shamefully slow progress has been since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared TB a global emergency 25 years ago and highlighted the urgent need to close the funding gap for TB, including the US $1.3 billion gap for TB R&D.   As the curtain closed on the HLM, world leaders, as expected, endorsed a carefully negotiated political declaration. GHTC was pleased to see it include a commitment to increasing investment in TB R&D by $2 billion and strong recognition of the importance of cross-border, cross-sector collaboration in driving product development. However, we also share concerns raised by other advocates on accountability. For this meeting to catalyze true change, rhetoric must now translate to action, and commitments must be matched with mechanisms that track investments and hold nations accountable. 2. There are many roads on the path to universal health coverage, but innovation can be an accelerator. Universal health coverage (UHC) was another topic that took the spotlight at UNGA 73, championed by the issue’s top “cheerleader in chief” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanon Ghebreyus, who has made achieving UHC a centerpiece of his directorship. Given the focus of the world’s doctor on UHC, many advocates at UNGA framed their specific issues through the lens of UHC, highlighting the myriad of steps needed to achieve this ambitious goal‒from building a stronger health workforce, to expanding access to medicines, to tackling leading killers like malaria, HIV and AIDS, and TB. Yet, a common theme heard across these conversations is that along each of these roads, innovation can be an accelerator.   Throughout the week, speakers highlighted how innovations and new technologies can help deliver care more efficiently and effectively, improve access and drive down costs, and accelerate countries along the path to achieving UHC. TB advocates highlighted how shorter treatment regimens can improve care, decrease costs, and free up resources, while digital health advocates argued that better use of data can empower health workers to track and treat patients and allocate precious health resources most effectively. Others highlighted how innovative new tools like point-of-care diagnostics can bring improved care to the community level and to people in the most remote corners of the globe. 3. We need additional resources for R&D, and that requires countries to step up in an equitable way. Domestic resource mobilization and equitable financing were words repeated throughout the week, particularly in conversations around the TB HLM and closing the TB R&D funding gap. Advocates, think tanks, and even government officials, argued that high-burden TB countries need to increase domestic investment in TB R&D and treatment. Some advocates have called for a “fair share” or equitable financing approach to TB R&D financing, with each country committing to spend .1 percent of their GDP on R&D. Others spoke to the potential of the BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—to play a greater role in financing R&D.   While much of the TB financing dialogue focused on increasing public sector contributions, conversations also highlighted the impact and further potential of financing models like the airline-tax-funded work of UNITAID or public-private partnership approaches—like product development partnerships and the work of the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund—which have married multisector contributions to bring novel, affordable, accessible tools to market. Other speakers highlighted the opportunity for industry to increase its TB R&D investment, though many lamented that although industry has brought new TB drugs and diagnostics to market in recent years, uptake has been slow due to high product costs. 4. There is reason for optimism and reason for concern. The mood seemed mercurial in midtown Manhattan, as UNGA orators vacillated between optimism and concern about the future of global health and development. In the drumbeat to UNGA, the always-impatient optimists Bill and Melinda Gates unveiled their foundation’s Goalkeepers report. The report’s stylish line graphs, which show a downward trajectory on health issues like child mortality, are uplifting and inspiring—a great reminder of the staggering progress we’ve achieved in global health and what’s possible for the future.   The basis of our optimism about the world has always been our belief in the power of innovation to redefine what’s possible – Bill and Melinda Gates   Yet, three years in, it has also become clear the world is not on track to meet the Global Goals. And even the optimistic Gates are reminding us that though we hold the blueprint for a healthier world, continued progress is not inevitable. The choices our policymakers implement today will determine whether progress continues or stalls. Throughout the week, many speakers gave voice to fears, highlighting concerns that foreign aid spending is under increased attack in leading donors countries like the United States—a notion echoed in President Trump’s speech to the Assembly—and that political changes like Brexit and an “America First” doctrine signal a movement toward isolationism over collective action. Given significant global health R&D funding comes through foreign aid budgets and the necessity of collaborative global action to deliver the cures of tomorrow, these developments are worrisome. Will these trends threaten progress, or will momentum continue? That’s a question we’ll surely continue to reflect on for many UNGAs to come.

Mosquitoes: This pervasive posse of pests and the deadly diseases they carry have terrorized towns and sickened citizens for far too long. For decades, a fearless force of heroic health workers has fought to keep these bloodthirsty bugs at bay, but to finally put an end to these murderous mozzies and the dastardly diseases they distribute, they need new tools, including vaccines, drugs, diagnostics and vector-control products. For World Mosquito Day, GHTC is taking a moment to shine a spotlight on the ghastly gang of mosquito-borne diseases and the innovations we need to finish these frightening foes for good. Malaria Mal A. Ria is old, cruel, and has killed more people than all of humanity’s wars combined. Since the 1950s, countries have fought a sustained war against this nefarious nemesis. Increased global action led to the development and introduction of cheaper drugs, rapid diagnostics, and child-friendly medicines, as well as mass distribution of insecticide-treated bednets, which help drive Mal A. Ria from several countries where she formally had a foothold and weakened her forces. Yet, today progress has stalled and Mal A. Ria is fighting back hard, having developed resistance against commonly used insecticides and treatments Fortunately, scientists are fighting back too. A new generation of insecticides and vector control products is advancing through the pipeline, the first vaccine is undergoing pilot roll out in sub-Saharan Africa while other candidates progress through development; and researchers are employing cutting-edge gene editing techniques to alter Mal. A Ria’s ability to pass on her parasite. Continuing support for these efforts is critical to wipe out this formidable foe. Dengue   Also known by the aliases “Breakbone Fever” and “Dandy Fever,” Den Gue has largely operated under the radar as a member of the Neglected Tropical Disease crime syndicate, attacking as many as 400 million people annually. Den Gue often induces a painful fever, and his attacks can leave victims with long-term neurological and liver problems, or in some cases kill them. He typically attacks during the day, rendering bednets a less effective tool to fight him. Unfortunately, health workers have no specific treatment or cure to deploy against Den Gue. While there is a vaccine, it is only appropriate for use in certain circumstances and better point-of-care diagnostic tests are needed to ensure its safe administration. Ultimately, a variety of tools will be needed to vanquish this adversary, so researchers are hard at work testing other vaccine candidates and exploring whether infecting mosquitoes with a bacterium known as Wolbachia could prove to be an effective tactic. Chikungunya While he may be a lesser-known member of the Neglected Tropical Disease crime syndicate, Chiku N. Gunya is still a dangerous adversary reaching over 60 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. An attack by Chiku N. Gunya can leave victims with debilitating joint pain that can sometime persist long after the attack. Unfortunately, health workers have few tools at their disposable to reign in his criminal activity: There is no vaccine, specific treatment, or cure, and current diagnostic tools are challenging to employ in remote regions. Researchers are working feverishly to deliver new tools to fight this foe. Several promising vaccine candidates are now undergoing testing in human clinical trials and researchers are exploring whether currently available antivirals could be repurposed to combat Chiku N. Gunya, as well as developing new antivirals treatments. Zika While Zi Ka has been operating since at least the 1940s in certain places in Africa and Asia, her crimes did not capture widespread public attention until she carried out a large-scale attack on the Americas from 2015-2016, leading the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency. Her crimes are particularly cruel, as the victims she targets are pregnant women, resulting in severe birth defects in some children. When Zi Ka captured her spot on the most wanted list in 2015, health workers had few tools to stop her reign of terror and that remains the case. There is no vaccine, specific treatment, or cure, and diagnostic tests have trouble distinguishing her attacks from that of Den Gue or other mosquito-borne disease miscreants. Scientists are working to ensure the world is better prepared if she decides to undertake another major attack. While it could be many years until they are available, several vaccine candidates are currently under development, and experimental diagnostic tests have been made available on an emergency basis as researchers continue to test and refine these tools.  R&D: The key to ending these enemies While our heroic health workers have made strides in stifling these diabolical diseases and protecting the populace, these cronies still cause considerable calamity in communities worldwide. Our call to action should be clear: We need research and development (R&D) and new technologies to exact an end to these enemies for good.