Beyond profits: The Bill & Melinda Gates MRI's mission to combat neglected diseases

Beyond Biotech - the podcast from Labiotech

The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) is a non-profit medical research organization dedicated to the development and effective use of products like drugs, vaccines and monoclonal antibodies to address substantial global health concerns, for which investment incentives are limited, including malaria, tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases, and diseases that impact maternal, newborn, and child health.

This week, our guest is Dr Claire Wagner, head of corporate strategy and market access at Gates MRI.

Wagner has dedicated her life to global health. Her early years working in West Africa and East Africa – including five years working with the Rwanda Ministry of Health – were formative experiences for her.

She helped document health sector outcomes in Rwanda and had a front row seat to the progress the country was making at the time, which led to her pursuing and obtaining an MD and MBA from Harvard.

Her experiences led to her becoming one of the early employees of the Gates MRI, where she is on the executive leadership team and leads the institute's global access strategy as well as related engagement with commercial partners, financial institutions and multilaterals.

She tackles the challenge of paving the way for the drugs, biologics and vaccines that the Gates MRI is developing – if they are successful in clinical trials – to be affordable and accessible to the people in low- and middle-income countries who would benefit most. In March 2024 the Gates MRI launched a phase 3 clinical trial for a tuberculosis vaccine candidate, and market access for this candidate is a top priority for Wagner.

01:51-04:47: Background on Dr Claire Wagner
04:47-06:24: Work in Rwanda
06:24-08:40: Gates MRI
08:40-12:50: Progress at Gates MRI
12:50-14:06: Gates MRI R&D priorities
14:06-16:26: The differences between Gates MRI and traditional biotechs
16:26-18:40: Gates MRI partnerships
18:40-22:52: The inequality of developing drug treatments
22:52-25:45: Return on investment
25:45-27:01: Did COVID increase global awareness?
27:01-27:44: Other companies working on treatments
27:44-31:48: Gates MRI pipeline and clinical trials
31:48-34:51: Working on tuberculosis
34:51-36:00: Treatment mode of action
36:00-37:25: Future work at Gates MRI

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1. Beyond profits: The Bill & Melinda Gates MRI's mission to combat neglected diseases (00:00:00)

2. Background on Dr Claire Wagner (00:01:51)

3. Work in Rwanda (00:04:47)

4. Gates MRI
 (00:06:24)

5. Progress at Gates MRI (00:08:40)

6. Gates MRI R&D priorities
 (00:12:50)

7. The differences between Gates MRI and traditional biotechs
 (00:14:06)

8. Gates MRI partnerships
 (00:16:26)

9. The inequality of developing drug treatments
 (00:18:40)

10. Return on investment
 (00:22:52)

11. Did COVID increase global awareness?
 (00:25:45)

12. Other companies working on treatments
 (00:27:01)

13. Gates MRI pipeline and clinical trials
 (00:27:44)

14. Working on tuberculosis
 (00:31:48)

15. Treatment mode of action
 (00:34:51)

16. Future work at Gates MRI (00:36:00)