BactiVac, the Bacterial Vaccines Network, has secured £1 million of funding from Wellcome to accelerate the development of bacterial vaccines and combat the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Bacterial infections kill over 7 million people each year and the development of new and better vaccines will reduce this devastating burden of disease.
The BactiVac Network, hosted at the University of Birmingham, was established in 2017 under the direction of Professors Calman MacLennan and Adam Cunningham.
With over 1,400 members from 78 countries (see Note for Editors for full list), BactiVac brings together academia, industry, policymakers, and funders, 49% of whom are from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), to advance the development of vaccine against bacterial pathogens of global importance.
The funding awarded by Wellcome will enhance the impact of the BactiVac Network over the next four years.
Watch a video announcing the £1m funding for BactiVac: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp3YE4bBheI
From the start, BactiVac has been a leading advocate for bacterial vaccinology, enabled collaborations in vaccine development through research project funding, delivered key training for members, supported training exchanges, and hosted Annual Network Meetings.
With a focus on LMICs, BactiVac also aims to address bottlenecks and capacity building among early career researchers in these countries.
Being the key Network for advocating the acceleration of vaccines that target bacterial pathogens, the BactiVac Network will continue to build collaborations and networking between academic, policy and industry partners towards this goal.
Calman MacLennan, BactiVac Director, commented: “We’re delighted that Wellcome will be partnering with us for Phase 2 of BactiVac. With Wellcome’s support, we will be able to build on what has been achieved over the first five years of the Network, continue to promote the development of bacterial vaccines and champion their importance in overcoming the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance.”
Adam Cunningham, BactiVac Co-Director, commented: “We are grateful to Wellcome for their generous support and for sharing BactiVac’s vision that bacterial vaccines have a critical role to play in reducing bacterial infections and the threat of AMR. In this exciting new phase, BactiVac will continue to support its membership to develop new vaccines, particularly those that are relevant to LMICs.”
Professor Gordon Dougan, Director of Infectious Disease at Wellcome, commented: “The scale of the challenge posed by deadly bacterial infections and antimicrobial resistance is clearer than ever before. Developing new bacterial vaccines will help prevent these infections, ease pressure on healthcare workers, protect our precious supply of antibiotics, and save more lives.
“BactiVac have played a leading role in bringing together world experts from across academia, industry, and policy to advocate for bacterial vaccinology, supporting projects to advance vaccines and facilitate opportunities for the transfer of vital knowledge and skills. We are proud to continue supporting the Network as they embark on scaling up their impact.”
