IDRI Announces $11.9M Contract To Develop Thermostable TB Vaccine
Using freeze-drying process to overcome cold-chain transportation issues
SEATTLE, Nov. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — With the goal of developing a thermostable tuberculosis vaccine that is resistant to damage from excessive heat or cold, IDRI (Infectious Disease Research Institute) today announces it has been awarded a contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a part of the National Institutes of Health. The contract (HHSN272201400041C) has a base award of $3.6 million and could be worth up to $11.9 million if all milestone-driven options are exercised. The contract provides funding for a team of IDRI scientists – led by Christopher Fox, Ph.D. – to develop, produce and test a thermostable lyophilized formulation of its vaccine candidate to prevent tuberculosis. TB-causing bacteria infect an estimated one-third of the global population, and, in 2013, approximately nine million people developed active cases of TB illness…