The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced 76 grants of 
US$100,000 each to pursue bold ideas for transforming health in developing 
countries. The grants support researchers across 16 countries, including nine 
in Europe and Africa with ideas as diverse as using the power of sunlight to 
kill malaria-causing mosquito larvae and developing a device that repels 
mosquitoes without insecticides. 

    "Some of the biggest stumbling blocks in global health are now being 
overcome with promising new vaccines and treatments," said Dr. Tachi Yamada, 
president of the Gates Foundation's Global Health Program. "Grand Challenges 
Explorations will continue to fill the pipeline with possibilities and 
hopefully produce a breakthrough idea that could save untold numbers of 
lives." 

    This marks the third round of the foundation's Grand Challenges 
Explorations initiative to expand the pipeline of ideas for improving global 
health. To date, 262 researchers representing 30 countries have been awarded 
Grand Challenges Explorations grants. 

    In total, 76 grantees from round 3 were selected from almost 3,000 
proposals. All levels of scientists are represented - from young 
post-graduate investigators to veteran researchers - as are a wide range of 
disciplines, such as chemistry, bioengineering, electronics, mechanical 
engineering, infectious disease, and epidemiology. This year's European and 
African grantees are based at universities, research institutes, nonprofit 
organizations, and private companies in Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, 
Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. Examples of newly-funded 
projects include: 

    - Innovative ways to diagnose infectious diseases: 
      - Jackie Obey from the University of Eastern Africa in Kenya will test 
        the efficacy of a test tube kit to indicate the presence of a protein 
        released by the malaria parasite New strategies to fight malaria and 
        mosquitoes 

    - New strategies to fight malaria and mosquitoes: 
      - Annette Habluetzel of the University of Camerino in Italy will create 
        a micropellet food which, when activated by the sun, could generate 
        toxins that kill mosquito larvae 
      - Peter Lubega Yiga of AdhocWorks Foundation in South Africa will test 
        the efficacy of a fermentation-based household mosquito repellent 

    - More effective vaccines: 
       - Margaret Njoroge of Med Biotech Laboratories in Uganda will develop 
        an intranasal vaccine for mothers, designed to induce antibodies 
        against malaria in breast milk and confer immunity on their babies 

    Notes to Editor 

    About Grand Challenges Explorations 
    Grand Challenges Explorations is a five-year, $100 million initiative to 
promote innovation in global health. It is part of the Grand Challenges in 
Global Health initiative, which is supported by the Gates Foundation to 
achieve major breakthroughs in global health. 

    Applications for the next round of Grand Challenges Explorations are 
being accepted through November 2, 2009. Grant application instructions, 
including the list of topics for which proposals are currently being 
accepted, are available at http://www.grandchallenges.org/explorations. 

    Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda 
Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In 
developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them 
the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the 
United States, it seeks to ensure that all people-especially those with the 
fewest resources-have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in 
school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO 
Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill 
and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Learn more at www.gatesfoundation.org. 

    For high-resolution still photography and information about the 
foundation's work, please visit: 
www.gatesfoundation.org/press-room/Pages/news-market.aspx. 

    Round 3 Winners in Africa 

    - Jackie Obey, University of Eastern Africa, Baraton, Kenya: 'Malaria 
      diagnosis using iron and plasma' 

    - Margaret Njoroge-Mendi, Med Biotech Laboratories, Uganda: 'Maternal 
      Immunization to protect infants against malaria' 

    - Dr Sungano Mharakurwa, Malaria Institute at Macha, Zambia: 'Pre-Season 
      Elimination of Malaria Carrier Infections' 

    - Peter Lubega Yiga, AdhocWorks CC, South Africa: 'A fermentation-based 
      mosquito-repelling device' 

    Round 3 Winners in Europe 

    - Claudia Pastori, Fondazione S. Raffaele del Monte Tabor, Italy: 
      'Induction of HIV protective mucosal antibodies' 

    - Dr Edward Dolk, Utrecht University, The Netherlands: 'Increased mucosal 
      immunity combined with excretion of HIV' 

    - Dr Michael Lebens, University of Gothenburg, Sweden: 'A novel effective 
      vaccine against cholera' 

    - Dr Shahid Khan, University of Leiden Medical Centre, The Netherlands: 
      'Preventing malaria in both host and vector' 

    - Dr Annette Habluetzel, University of Camerino, Italy: 'Photocidal 
      porphyrin micro-pellets for larvae control' 

    - Dr Matthew Fuchter, Imperial College, London, UK: 'Targeting of the P. 
      falciparum Immune Evasion Mechanism to Treat Malaria' 

    - Lena Hulden, University of Helsinki, Finland: 'Seasonal vivax malaria 
      eradication' 

    - Dr Jeremy Webb, University of Southampton, UK: 'New whole-species 
      pneumococcal vaccines' 

    - Dr Federica Marelli-Berg, Imperial College, London, UK: 'Programming T 
      cell homing to induce gut-selective immunity' 

    - Dr Roly Gosling, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK: 
      'Targeting hotspots in rural poorly-resourced settings' 


SOURCE  Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 

    CONTACT: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, +1-206-709-3400, 
media@gatesfoundation.org; or Weber Shandwick, +44 207 067 0184, 
alreid@webershandwick.com


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