Executive summary: Open Philanthropy presents a quantitative framework for identifying promising vaccine R&D targets by analyzing disease burden and funding gaps, concluding that diseases like group A streptococcus, syphilis, and hepatitis C are particularly neglected relative to their projected future impact and merit greater philanthropic investment.
Key points:
Framework and main finding: Applying an importance-neglectedness framework to 84 infectious diseases reveals significant disparities—some high-burden diseases receive up to 10x less R&D funding than others, suggesting overlooked opportunities for impact.
Top neglected targets: Group A streptococcus, hepatitis C, and syphilis have among the lowest R&D funding per projected DALY in 2050 and no widely available vaccines, making them compelling candidates for philanthropic support.
Methodology and limitations: Estimates are based on GBD projections, G-FINDER funding data, and vaccine availability, with acknowledged gaps (e.g. data exclusions, inconsistent disease groupings, and uncertainty in burden forecasts).
Insights into specific diseases: Some high-burden diseases like malaria and TB already receive substantial funding but still lack effective vaccines; others, like hepatitis B, appear underfunded due to data exclusions (e.g. high-income country focus).
Grantmaking implications: This analysis has informed Open Phil’s vaccine grant portfolio and led to investments in other neglected areas such as hepatitis B cures, syphilis testing, and antivenom development.
Broader cautions: The authors emphasize that quantitative metrics alone are insufficient; tractability, implementation context, and expert judgment are essential for effective prioritization.
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Executive summary: Open Philanthropy presents a quantitative framework for identifying promising vaccine R&D targets by analyzing disease burden and funding gaps, concluding that diseases like group A streptococcus, syphilis, and hepatitis C are particularly neglected relative to their projected future impact and merit greater philanthropic investment.
Key points:
Framework and main finding: Applying an importance-neglectedness framework to 84 infectious diseases reveals significant disparities—some high-burden diseases receive up to 10x less R&D funding than others, suggesting overlooked opportunities for impact.
Top neglected targets: Group A streptococcus, hepatitis C, and syphilis have among the lowest R&D funding per projected DALY in 2050 and no widely available vaccines, making them compelling candidates for philanthropic support.
Methodology and limitations: Estimates are based on GBD projections, G-FINDER funding data, and vaccine availability, with acknowledged gaps (e.g. data exclusions, inconsistent disease groupings, and uncertainty in burden forecasts).
Insights into specific diseases: Some high-burden diseases like malaria and TB already receive substantial funding but still lack effective vaccines; others, like hepatitis B, appear underfunded due to data exclusions (e.g. high-income country focus).
Grantmaking implications: This analysis has informed Open Phil’s vaccine grant portfolio and led to investments in other neglected areas such as hepatitis B cures, syphilis testing, and antivenom development.
Broader cautions: The authors emphasize that quantitative metrics alone are insufficient; tractability, implementation context, and expert judgment are essential for effective prioritization.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.