Gates Foundation Funds 78 New Innovative Global Health Projects Including Cell Phone Blood Tests, Carnivorous Plants and Sweat-Triggered Vaccines

Grants From 18 Countries Poised to Help Prevent and Diagnose Infectious Disease and Promote Family Health

LONDON, May 11, 2010 - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced 78 grants of
US$100,000 each in the latest round of Grand Challenges Explorations. Grants
include the development of a low-cost cell phone microscope to diagnose
malaria, study of the strategic placement of insect-eating plants to reduce
insect-borne diseases, and investigation of nanoparticles to release vaccines
when they come in contact with human sweat. The grants support research
across 18 countries and six continents.

"Grand Challenges Explorations continues to generate unique and creative
ways to tackle global health issues," said Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the
Gates Foundation's Global Health Program. "We are convinced that some of
these ideas will lead to new innovations and eventually solutions that will
save lives."

This year's European grantees are based at universities, research
institutes and non-profit organizations. The winners represent groups in
Germany, Sweden, Norway and the UK.

Some examples of the breadth of projects funded this round include:

More effective vaccines:

    - Sweat-triggered vaccine delivery: Carlos Alberto Guzman of the
      Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Germany with Claus-Michael
      Lehr and Steffi Hansen of the Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical
      Research will develop nanoparticles that penetrate the skin through
      hair follicles and burst upon contact with human sweat to release
      vaccines.

    - A "seek-and-destroy" laser vaccine: Owain Millington and Gail McConnell
      of University of Strathclyde in the United Kingdom will use existing
      imaging systems to identify and destroy Leishmania parasites with a
      targeted laser.

    - Treating worm infections to improve vaccine effectiveness: Susanne
      Nylen Spoormaker of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden will research
      whether treating patients for worm infections prior to vaccinations can
      improve the ability of the immune system to respond effectively to
      vaccines.

    New strategies to fight malaria:

    - Insecticide-treated traditional scarves: David Sintasath of the Malaria
      Consortium in Thailand will research whether treating traditional
      scarves worn by migrant workers along the Thai-Cambodia border with
      insecticides will reduce the rate of drug-resistant malaria.

    - Using carnivorous plants to control mosquitoes: Jasper Ogwal-Okeng of
      Makerere University in Uganda will test whether insect-eating plants
      can reduce the population of malaria transmitting mosquitoes and their
      larvae.

    - Cell phone microscope to diagnose malaria: Aydogan Ozcan of the
      University of California, Los Angeles in the U.S. will test a low-cost,
      compact cell phone microscope to diagnose malaria in field settings.

    Solutions to promote family health:

    - Ultrasound as a reversible male contraceptive: James Tsuruta and Paul
      Dayton of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in the U.S.
      will study the ability of ultrasound to temporarily deplete testicular
      sperm counts for possible use as new contraceptive method for men.

    - Vitamin A probiotics to combat diarrhea: Douglas Watson and colleagues
      of SRI International in the U.S. will develop probiotic bacteria that
      produce Vitamin A to stimulate a healthy gastrointestinal tract in
      children and reduce diarrheal diseases, the second-leading cause of
      childhood death.

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 May 19, 2010. Topics for Round 5 are:

    - Create Low-Cost Cell Phone-Based Applications for Priority Global
      Health Conditions

    - Create New Technologies to Improve the Health of Mothers and Newborns

    - Create New Ways to Protect Against Infectious Disease

    - Create New Technologies for Contraception

Grant application instructions, including the list of topic areas in
which proposals are currently being accepted, are available at the Grand
Challenges Explorations website: www.grandchallenges.org.

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.

Notes to Editors

This marks the fourth round of grants awarded by the Gates Foundation's
Grand Challenges Explorations program. Including those announced today,
grants have been awarded to 340 researchers from 31 countries.

Grantees from Round 4 were selected from almost 2,700 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.

The grant program is open to anyone from any discipline, from student to
tenured professor, and from any organization - colleges and universities,
government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations and
for-profit companies. For additional information, please visit
www.grandchallenges.org.

London Contact: Matti Ojanen, Phone: +44-(0)207-067-0195, Email: mojanen at webershandwick.com. Seattle Contact: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Phone:
+1-(206)-709-3400, Email: media at gatesfoundation.org