Bill Gates will make a $12 million donation to fund research for a universal flu vaccine. Veuer’s Maria Mercedes Galuppo has more.
Bill Gates has pledged $12 million in funding to fuel advances toward a universal flu vaccine, STAT News reports. After this year’s devastating flu season, the race for a shot that could protect against a broad range of flu viruses for years on end feels even more urgent — but is $12 million really enough to help?
Gates announced the funding today at a conference. Half would come from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the other half would be from the family of Google co-founder Larry Page. The money would be doled out in grants of up to $2 million for individual projects “that are bold and innovative,” the funding website says.
The idea is that the $2 million, paid over two years, would be enough money for researchers to collect preliminary data in animal models. And then the most promising strategies could be eligible to apply for up to another $10 million to take the vaccine candidates to human trials. The foundation is looking for proposals that could be ready to start clinical trials by 2021. CONTINUE READING
[The following video is by TheVerge/Rachel Becker]
