Last week, we saw once again how our universities and academic institutions are leading the way in drug discovery and research. The World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday announced its recommendation for the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine to be rolled out on a large scale.

Research for the vaccine, developed in Oxford, was led by Professor Adrian Hill, Director of the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford. Since its inception, Future Planet Capital has been an avid backer of Professor Hill’s drug discovery work, backing two companies he has co-founded: Vaccitech and NeoVac.

This week’s announcement marks a significant milestone in tackling malaria, one of the world’s most deadly diseases. In 2021, according to the WHO, almost half of the world’s population was at risk of malaria. This vaccine will help to significantly reduce deaths caused by malaria, which claims over 600,000 lives each year.

Created for the prevention of malaria in children, the R21/Matrix-M vaccine is noted by the WHO as being a safe, cost-effective vaccine with high efficacy; in regions where malaria transmission is highly seasonal, symptomatic cases of malaria were reduced by 75% following a 3-dose series.

“The vaccine is easily deployable, cost-effective and affordable, ready for distribution in areas where it is needed most, with the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives a year.”

— Professor Adrian Hill, Director of the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford

Drug discovery innovation is a key part of Future Planet Capital’s investment strategy. Vaccitech’s help in developing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine led to over 3 billion vaccines being delivered across more than 180 countries, saving 6.3 million lives in the first year of its roll-out during the pandemic.

NeoVac is working to develop revolutionary next-generation lipid nanoparticles to facilitate better mRNA vaccines and treatments for a range of deadly diseases.

Through our continued work with these companies, we have fostered a strong partnership with Professor Hill and we are delighted to see his work once again receive such impressive accreditation in solving global health challenges.

The R21/Matrix-M vaccine is expected to become available to countries mid-2024. Find out more about the malaria vaccine programme from the WHO here.