CEPI seeks adaptable vaccine platforms to fight outbreaks of unknown pathogens

The Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) issued a call Tuesday for funding applications for platforms capable of developing any number of vaccines to respond to as-yet-unknown emerging infectious diseases and unknown pathogens.

Such pathogens, collectively labeled Disease X, represent a major source of concern for the vaccine partnership. Platform technologies could allow healthcare providers to develop vaccines more rapidly and scale production quickly to address developing outbreaks. Their call for proposals builds on $54 million the organization has already committed to the development of a vaccine printer, molecular clamp platform, and a self-amplifying RNA vaccine platform.

“We can be sure that another epidemic is on the horizon,” CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett said. “It is not a case of if, but when. We need to be prepared. We need to invest in platform technologies that can be used to quickly respond to the emergence of a pathogen with epidemic potential. That’s why CEPI is boosting its funding for such platform technologies that can be used to make vaccines and other immunoprophylactics in a matter of weeks and months, instead of years, which is currently the case.”

While Disease X could be anything, CEPI points to a recent report from the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board to note how bad it could be. That report noted the potential for a quick-moving pandemic to hit the world, and in so doing, wipe out between 50 to 80 million people and approximately 5 percent of the world’s economy.

It is an epidemic danger only made more apparent by the number of new emerging infectious diseases. While there were less than 1,000 outbreaks in 1980, by 2010, outbreaks were topping 3,000, according to a 2014 study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface. The World Health Organization considers Disease X to be one of its priority diseases.

Accordingly, CEPI will expand funding to platforms technologies and fund the development of other immunoprophylactic platform technologies. Their call for proposals is worldwide and open to non-profit research organizations, for-profit companies, international organizations and foundations, joint R&D ventures, government research organizations, and academic institutions.

“Our criteria are broad, and the call is open for 12 months, in the hope that we’re able to attract the best and brightest ideas from around the world,” Hatchett said. “If we succeed in this endeavour, we will be able to equip humanity with the tools to combat Disease X and create a world in which epidemics are no longer a threat.”