Aeras released its annual report, an interactive website detailing the real cost of TB and highlighting progress in TB vaccine development. There is also an interactive infographic designed to convey the scale of the TB problem globally.

Drawing on recent findings of a significant rise in cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the UK and globally, top TB researchers at a briefing today in London called for greater focus on the quest for new vaccines—a crucial long-term, cost-effective method for addressing the growing threat.

Rockville, MD, USA (October 10, 2012) – Aeras announces that it has signed an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines, S.A. (GSK) to jointly advance the clinical development of an investigational tuberculosis (TB) vaccine containing GSK’s proprietary M72 antigen and AS01_E^* adjuvant.  This novel research and resource-sharing agreement between the largest non-profit TB vaccine biotech and one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies marks advancement in the race to develop new vaccines against TB, a global infectious disease killer. 

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has awarded Aeras a $299,525 grant to support the discovery of biological and immunological biomarkers for TB vaccines. This funding will be used to continue assessments of a novel mycobacterial growth inhibition assay that could drastically reduce the time and cost of developing new vaccines against tuberculosis.

Statement by Tom Evans, MD
Chief Scientific Officer, Aeras

Aeras and the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) announce today the start of the first clinical trial of IDRI’s novel tuberculosis vaccine candidate, ID93 + GLA-SE. The Phase I clinical trial will assess the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of the vaccine candidate in 60 healthy adult volunteers. The study will be conducted by Johnson County Clin-Trials in Lenexa, Kansas, in close collaboration with Aeras and IDRI.

Rockville, MD & Seattle, WA, USA (May 9, 2012) – Aeras and the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) announce today a new agreement to conduct joint development activities with respect to IDRI’s novel tuberculosis vaccine candidate. This collaboration reflects the missions of the two non-profit product development partnerships to use cutting-edge science to develop products that address critical diseases of underserved populations around the world, including tuberculosis.

Rockville, MD, USA | Cape Town, South Africa (March 15, 2012) – Aeras announces today the receipt of a grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation of up to US $220 million over five years, placing it at the forefront of a global scientific initiative aimed at developing safe, effective vaccines against tuberculosis, a disease that infects two billion people worldwide. One of the world’s largest not-for-profit biotechs, Aeras is developing modern vaccines to combat TB against the backdrop of a significant increase in drug-resistant strains.