Posted by Michael Wonder on 05 May 2020
Bill Gates donates $10 million to Australian trial of immune-boosting vaccine
5 May 2020 - Bill Gates has donated $10 million to an Australian trial of a vaccine that researchers hope will prevent severe cases of COVID-19 in at-risk groups such as healthcare workers and the elderly.
The billionaire Microsoft founder's funding, the largest single donation to Australia’s COVID-19 research effort so far, comes after weeks of discussions between the Melbourne-based lead researcher, Professor Nigel Curtis, and Mr Gates' scientific advisers.
The trial is testing an immune-boosting vaccine typically used against tuberculosis called BCG. It will now expand internationally to the Netherlands and Spain with the aim of testing the vaccine’s effect on 10,000 healthcare workers worldwide.
