Tulane's $1.6M Gates Foundation Grant for Oral Polio Vaccine 'Could End Polio for Good'

A researcher from Tulane University has been awarded $1.6 million (£1.21 million) by the Gates Foundation to develop a revolutionary oral polio vaccine. Led by Dr Elizabeth B. Norton, the project aims to create a non-live, non-reverting vaccine that addresses a critical flaw in current immunisation strategies.

Existing oral vaccines deploy a weakened live virus, which, in communities with low immunity, can genetically revert to a form capable of causing outbreaks of vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2). This reversion can lead to new cases of paralysis, undermining global eradication efforts.

Norton's innovation could finally close this gap, potentially making polio only the second human disease ever eradicated—after smallpox. Her work promises to pave the way for a safer, more effective vaccine that could eliminate the risk of vaccine-derived outbreaks.

The Global Fight Against Polio

Poliovirus attacks the nervous system, causing irreversible paralysis. Historically, the disease was devastating; Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was paralysed by polio, governed the US from a wheelchair. In the 1950s, iron lungs lined hospital wards, helping children breathe as they fought the disease.

Since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, the world has seen extraordinary progress. Cases have plummeted by over 99.9%, from 350,000 annually to fewer than 100 in 2024. Only Afghanistan and Pakistan remain endemic, reporting just 99 wild poliovirus cases last year.

However, the progress faces a new challenge. Vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) has caused outbreaks in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and Yemen. These outbreaks stem from the live virus in oral vaccines mutating back to a dangerous form when immunisation coverage is insufficient.

Alarmingly, VDPV2 has been detected in sewage samples across the UK, Germany, Spain, Finland, and Poland. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recorded 49 VDPV2 cases globally from January to May 2025, highlighting the threat of vaccine-derived outbreaks crossing borders.

Breakthrough Vaccine: A Game Changer

Norton's novel vaccine employs a fundamentally different approach. It contains no live virus, eliminating the risk of reversion. This sets it apart from existing oral vaccines, which, despite improvements, still carry some reversion risk.

The vaccine formulation uses QS-21, an adjuvant derived from the Chilean soapbark tree, to stimulate gut immunity where poliovirus replicates. Unlike injectable vaccines that protect individuals but do not prevent transmission, this oral vaccine aims to block the virus from shedding into communities, effectively halting its spread.

Dr Norton explains, 'Our goal is to create a safe, easy-to-administer vaccine that not only protects individuals from disease but also helps stop the virus from spreading in communities.'

The project is a collaboration with Massachusetts-based Q-Vant Biosciences, which specialises in developing soapbark-derived adjuvants. The 25-month grant timeline means the vaccine could enter preclinical testing by 2027, with human trials potentially following if early results are promising.

Urgency and the Road Ahead

The timing of this funding could not be more critical. The detection of VDPV2 in UK sewage is a stark reminder that vaccine-derived outbreaks are no longer confined to developing nations—they can emerge anywhere.

If successful, Norton's non-reverting vaccine could break the cycle of reversion, protecting children in Nigeria, the DRC, Somalia, and Yemen from paralysis caused by both wild and vaccine-derived polioviruses. Achieving this breakthrough could mark the end of polio, making it only the second human disease eradicated after smallpox in 1980.

Failure, however, would risk allowing the virus to circulate indefinitely, with the potential to spark new outbreaks as vaccination coverage dips.

The project's timeline suggests that a deployable vaccine might be available around 2027 or 2028. After more than four decades of global effort, the finish line is finally within reach.