Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital joins partnership to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine efforts globally

Through a new partnership with a global nonprofit, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children Hospital are looking to advance development of a low-cost, safe and effective vaccine to prevent COVID-19.

Through partnership with PATH, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public health, Baylor’s National School of Tropical Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital’s Center for Vaccine Development hope to accelerate a vaccine candidate currently under development into a Phase 1 clinical evaluation later this year, according to a May 5 press release.

Such an advancement would affect low and middle-income nations the most, where diseases take the greatest toll.

“It is becoming increasingly apparent that this virus poses great risk to low- and middle-income countries of South and Central America, Africa and Asia,” said Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, associate dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor and co-director of Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development in the release. “Our goal is to ensure that our development efforts lead to COVID-19 vaccines with global access, so populations can benefit in the many low-resource countries where it is so greatly needed.”

PATH will provide support to Baylor in project and quality management, as well as the execution of the regulated preclinical studies, engagement with U.S. regulatory agencies, and clinical study design and sponsorship, according to the release.

The nonprofit has expertise in advancing vaccine development and licensing for meningococcal A meningitis, malaria, pneumococcal disease and rotavirus, according to the release.