The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded grants of $10 million to Vir Biotechnology in support of developing a vaccine to prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and $18.7 million over five years to Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) Medicines for All Institute to rebuild medicines for less.

The foundation’s grant to VCU will enable the institute to rebuild medicines and vaccines with less expensive ingredients, making them more accessible. In addition, the funding will help the institute strengthen its relationships with a global network of researchers, manufacturers, and distribution partners who work together to maximize the impact of novel development processes for life-saving medicines. In 2017, VCU received a $25 million grant from Gates for its vaccine work, and the latest commitment will help fund work on HIV, tuberculosis, COVID-19, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases. 

The grant to Vir will support the phase one clinical development of a novel T cell vaccine, through close scientific partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN). The trial also will be funded in part by NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health, through a grant to HVTN. Phase one is expected to begin in the second half of 2023. The Gates Foundation’s previous support for Vir includes equity investments and grants for the development of therapies for the prevention and treatment of HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. 

“Vir’s long-standing support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been a formative part of our company history in global health,” said Vir Biotechnology vice president of global health portfolio and public-private partnerships Rajesh Gupta. “This new grant underscores the importance of our goal of developing innovative solutions for the prevention and treatment of global infectious diseases, including HIV. We look forward to advancing VIR-1388 into the clinic later this year.” 

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