Gates Package — page 591

▪ NIAID Program Staff currently serve on the Technical Advisory Group for the "Eradication Investment Cases Project for Onchocerciasis, Lymphatic Filariasis and Human African Trypanosomiasis," an initiative funded by BMGF. o Dengue Vaccine Initiative - DMID has a significant presence in the Dengue Vaccine Initiative (DVI), a large project supported by BMGF to advance the development of a dengue vaccine. Activities include an annual research meeting with DMID participation. In June 2013, NIAID and DVI co-sponsored a Consultation on Dengue Vaccines, which was attended by two BMGFdirectors: Lance Gordon, the director for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Chris Karp, the director of the Discovery & Translational Sciences team. Aside from the research conferences, we remain in contact throughout the year to co-ordinate DMID and BMGF activities in dengue. o Cryptosporidiosis - BGMF has supported large multicenter, multi-national studies to determine the burden of disease due to diarrheal pathogens. These studies have identified cryptosporidia as a major contributor to diarrheal morbidity. BMGF and NIAID Program Staff have jointly organized a meeting to identify knowledge gaps and research needs for cryptosporidiosis. A meeting of experts, including BMGF and NIAID Program Staff, is planned for Nov 21-22, 2013 to define the gold standard for cryptosporidium diagnostics. o Rotavirus - Through cooperation with BMGF, India's first indigenously developed oral rotaviral diarrhea vaccine (Human Rotavirus strain 116E, ROTAVAC) has been created, with successful completion of phase II trials and large phase III community clinical trials for safety and efficacy currently underway in Delhi, Pune and Vellore. Indian licensing for ROTAVAC® is expected during 2014 and WHO prequalification in 2015 for supply to UN agencies at a price of US$1. The rotavirus vaccine development project is a public-private partnership project between Bharat Biotech, the Dept. of Biotechnology, Gates Foundation, Program for Appropriate Technologies in Health, CDC, NIAID and other partners Bharat Biotech has an installed capacity of 300 million doses and is well positioned to manufacture and supply ROTAVAC® to UNICEF, PAHO, and for national immunization programs o ENTERICS AND HEPATIC DISEASES COLLABORATIONS ▪ On October 26, 2011, Drs. Heilman and Cassels met with a BMGF high level group, invited and led by Dr. Gina Rabinowitz, and gave presentations on DMID and EHDB programs and priorities. Dr. Robin Robinson, BARDA, also attended and presented. ▪ DMID is collaborating with the BMGF on their cholera program: The BMGF has developed a translational research program to introduce cholera vaccine to both epidemic and endemic situations. DMID has a robust product development program which can contribute to public health efforts in cholera surveillance, diagnostics, vaccination, and treatment. These programs are coordinated through periodic conversations and telecons when we exchange information and ideas about our programs. ▪ DMID collaborates with the BMGF on the U.S.-Japan Cholera and Other Bacterial Enteric Infections Panel meetings. The U.S. secretariat organizes the biannual U.S. conference to include areas of mutual interest and importance, such as recently focusing on typhoid diagnostics; BMGF has provided travel support for developing country scientists to attend the meetings. These conferences receive substantial support in the research community, and provide the key forum for exchanging ideas and approaches for controlling bacterial enteric infections.