AbCellera has reportedly announced a two-year agreement with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation aimed at expediting global health research. As per trusted sources, the funding equalling $4.8 million, will back a series of scientific collaborations between the two parties, funding scientists working toward the prevention and treatment of high-priority infectious diseases. The target diseases comprising of HIV, Tuberculosis, and malaria reportedly infect millions of people every year and disproportionately affect developing nations.

Research projects will take advantage of AbCellera’s market-leading abilities in immune repertoire profiling & human antibody discovery to expedite the development of vaccines and antibody-based treatment for applications in global health, cited credible sources.

Carl Hansen, Chief Executive Officer of AbCellera, said in a statement that the biotechnology industry is fueled by a passion for science and a sincere desire to enhance the human condition. Hansen also said that AbCellera is pleased by the opportunity to team up with some of the most accomplished researchers globally, in a battle against infectious diseases, a spectrum that is often overlooked due to a lack of financial support and economic incentives.

Hansen further claimed that AbCellera’s human antibody discovery abilities are believed to have a catalytic role in the development of antibody therapies, vaccines, and diagnostics for augmented global health.

Reportedly, this is the second time the companies are collaborating. Back in 2017, the two companies worked on the discovery of high-affinity monoclonal antibodies against ten bio-markers linked with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, the tuberculosis-causing bacteria. The resulting antibodies were pivotal in developing high-sensitivity diagnostic tests, cited trusted sources.

The collaboration financed under the current agreement will profit from AbCellera’s new technical abilities for intricate profiling of antibody responses. Previously, AbCellera acquired Lineage Biosciences, a spin-out company that spearheaded the use of next-gen sequencing technology to acquire the full diversity of antibodies formed by natural immune responses, reported sources.