Peter J. Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, discusses the efforts of the Sabin Vaccine Institute to develop vaccines that eradicate the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). NTDs are a group of 17 common parasitic and related infections that most commonly afflict the 1.4 billion people worldwide who live below the World Bank poverty level ("the bottom billion"). These diseases are major poverty promoting conditions of the poor, as they profoundly impact child development and worker productivity. The Sabin Vaccine Institute"s Global Network for NTDs delivers low-cost treatment packages to affected regions for seven of the most common NTDs, which has led to progress toward the elimination of lymphatic filariasis, river blindness and trachoma. For the other NTDs, however, a new generation of antipoverty drugs and vaccines will be required. For the other NTDs, however, a new generation of antipoverty drugs and vaccines will be required. In order to facilitate development of these innovative products, the Sabin Vaccine Institute has relocated its laboratories to Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. In his lecture, Hotez discusses new opportunities for collaboration for the institute, which, with partners around the world including researchers and investigators across the Texas Medical Center, is working to develop new vaccines for hookworm infection, schistosomiasis and Chagas disease.
This event is co-sponsored by the Baker Institute Science and Technology Policy Program and Rice 360°: Institute for Global Health Technologies at Rice University.
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