Polio the dreaded menace, to a major extent has been eliminated by the Government initiative 'Pulse-Polio Program'. Thanks to the celebrity endorsing by the tinsel world and the hard work of medical assistants, who administer the dosage, the initiative has been successfully implemented every year.  However an independent scientific and industrial research organization has been working on the vaccine since 2002. Ella Foundation set up in the Genome valley (Thurkapally) of the city, bags the prestigious $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a virus against polio after the phasing out of the oral poliovirus (OPV) vaccine. The Group made a statement in this regards on Thursday.

Company Statement:
Such a vaccine could carry the beneficial effects of an oral polio vaccine - namely safety, efficacy, ease of manufacture, distribution and administration along with the safety profile of an injectable polio vaccine by eliminating vaccine derived polio virus (VDPV).

About Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE)
GCE an initiative from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds individuals globally to explore ideas that help solve persistent global health and development challenges. The $100,000 funding idea from the foundation has been awarded to the worthy since 2008. Nearly 600 people with innovative ideas for the benefit of the society across 45 countries were awarded since inception.

Krishna Ella, co-founder of the Ella Foundation:
Acknowledging the grant, he said, 'Vaccines play a crucial role in the eradication of diseases that affect millions of lives worldwide. The grant will help us accelerate the pace of research programs and explore new solutions in global health priority areas.’ (With Inputs from Internet- Aarkay)