South African Scientist Leading Breakthrough TB Vaccine Trial

A scientist who lives openly with HIV is now leading one of the most ambitious efforts to end tuberculosis, a disease that kills 54,000 South Africans every year.

Professor Willem Hanekom directs the Africa Health Research Institute in KwaZulu-Natal, where 800 employees and a billion-rand budget fuel the fight against diseases that hit the world's poorest communities hardest. His latest project could change everything: co-leading a landmark trial testing the M72/AS01E TB vaccine across five countries with 20,000 participants.

The trial represents decades of hope compressed into action. TB remains one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases, yet the last vaccine was developed over a century ago.

Hanekom was diagnosed with HIV in 2007, when South Africa's government still denied the science and only 390,000 of five million people living with the virus had access to treatment. He fought through medical aid red tape to get antiretroviral therapy, a privilege that shaped his mission.

"I'm still very aware of the discrepancies between people who have and those who have not," he says. "And that's why I work in science that specifically addresses underresourced communities."

His institute recently participated in trials for lenacapavir, a game-changing HIV prevention drug given just twice yearly. The twice-yearly injection solves a critical problem: daily prevention pills only work if people remember to take them every single day.

"I even have friends who don't want to take a daily tablet," Hanekom notes. Friends now ask him when lenacapavir will reach pharmacies, revealing huge demand for easier prevention methods.

The institute will begin rolling out lenacapavir from June in partnership with South Africa's Department of Health, starting at its rural Somkhele campus.

The Ripple Effect

The Africa Health Research Institute became a Covid-19 detection powerhouse, with scientists first successfully isolating the Beta variant in December 2020. The same laboratories later helped identify the Omicron variant, giving the world critical early warnings.

Hanekom brought South African researchers together through the SA Covid-19 Research Consortium, enabling rapid variant detection and immune response studies that informed global health strategies.

On living openly with HIV, Hanekom maintains transparency everywhere he goes. While he rarely faces stigma himself, he recognizes its power over millions of South Africans living with the virus.

His TB vaccine work continues through the World Health Organization's TB Vaccine Accelerator, where he serves as strategic adviser. The phase three trial should conclude within two years, potentially delivering the first new TB vaccine in over a century to the communities that need it most.