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KANSAN.COM
Researchers given $17.6 million grant to cut vaccine costs
▶ NOLAN BREY
@NolanBrey
John Hickey, a senior research scientist, and Kaur Kawaljit, a post-doctoral researcher, work together at MSVC Lab in the Multidisciplinary Research Building.
For a team of researchers at the University, January marked the beginning of a five-year project to reduce the costs of vaccine manufacturing.
Yusra Nabi/KANSAN
The University of Kansas, MIT and University College of London received a $17.6 million Grand Challenge grant through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The grant's purpose is to reduce the costs of vaccine manufacturing for developing nations, such as India, to 15 cents or less. The vaccines will target illnesses such as hepatitis B, HIV human papillomavirus, malaria and rotavirus. A cheaper and improved manufacturing process will result in cheaper vaccine costs.
The University's project is led by David Volkin, a distinguished professor of pharmaceutical chemistry, and Sangeeta Joshi director of the University's Macromolecule and Vaccine Stabilization Center.
The University's team was selected out of 80 competitive applicants, and the team is excited to make vaccines more accessible to developing nations.
"I feel this type of work is very rewarding," Joshi said. "We are working to help people who really need the vaccines — the kids who are not getting these vaccines. It's very rewarding in that
sense, that you're actually working to help mankind. For me, that's really an honor."
Volkin is excited to take the research and apply it to promote real change.
"Some researchers get very motivated by discovering a new thing." Volkin said. "I think, for us, we get very motivated by translational medicine
— that we may not have discovered this vaccine, but we're helping to translate it from the lab bench into becoming a real product that people can use. That's exciting."
The University's team will attempt to create new recombinant protein vaccines that have better formulations,
with extended shelf lives more doses per vial and reduced needs for clinical testing. Together these improvements will significantly reduce the costs of vaccines.
"The Grand Challenge grant is a chance to think out of the box, and come up with a different way to manufacture and distribute vaccines so they can get to the people who need them, at 15 cents a dose," Volkin said. "The reason that's a grand challenge is that's roughly a tenfold reduction over what it costs today to make vaccines."
Additionally, vaccine production will be reduced by manufacturing vaccines in the countries where they will be distributed.
"The idea is you don't make the vaccine in one part of the world and then ship it to another part of the world," Volkin said. "Another big way to lower costs is to have local manufacturing. This new manufacturing process that we develop will be transferred to a developing country, most likely to India, so the vaccine can be manufactured locally."
Despite the unpredictable nature of research, Volkin said the project is very feasible.
"In [research and development] work, you are led by the data, so we'll have to see where it goes," Volkin said. "Hopefully, we'll make good progress over the next five years. That's the goal."
We are working to help people who really need the vaccines the kids who are not getting these vaccines. It's very rewarding in that sense, that you're actually working to help mankind For me,that's really an honor."
Sangeeta Joshi Director of the macromolecule and vaccine stabilization center
team also manages many other projects.
However, Volkin said that this project is different.
From government grants to company contracts, the University
"It's a very prestigious award, and we're working with top universities, so it's very exciting," Volkin said.
Joshi and Volkin both emphasized the importance of teamwork in the years ahead.
"We have a great team here, so that definitely will help to make this effort successful," Joshi said. "You can't underestimate the importance of the team effort."
- Edited by Sean Collins
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