The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is following through on co-founder Bill Gates’ call for increased investment in research with the announcement of new funding for studies on tuberculosis biomarkers.
On Thursday (Feb. 9), the foundation announced funding worth $7.3 million for cutting-edge research that would help develop a low-cost, simple-to-use tool for quickly and accurately diagnosing TB in developing countries. Canadian Institutes of Health Research is co-funding one of the grants with $374,493.
Ten new grants will be given under the program, “Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis,” which the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics will help monitor. It is part of a broader effort to spur innovation in TB control, including the development of new TB drug regimens and vaccines for the 8.8 million people diagnosed with the disease every year.
The program is part of the foundation’s Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative that aims to encourage innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing health and development challenges. Gates, in his annual letter, said investing in research is important to spur innovation.
Read more:
Read more development aid news online, and subscribe to The Development Newswire to receive top international development headlines from the world’s leading donors, news sources and opinion leaders — emailed to you FREE every business day.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
