About the Authors

Peter J. Hotez

hotez@bcm.edu

Affiliations Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America, Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, United States of America, Hagler Institute for Advanced Studies at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America, Scowcroft Institute of International Studies, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America, James A Baker III Institute of Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States of America

Competing Interests

I have read the journal's policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: PH is a co-inventor of neglected tropical disease vaccines and a COVID-19 recombinant protein vaccine technology owned by Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). The COVID-19 vaccine technology was licensed by BCM non-exclusively and with no patent restrictions to several companies committed to advance vaccines for LMICs. The co-inventors have no involvement in license negotiations conducted by BCM. Similar to other research universities, a long-standing BCM policy provides its faculty and staff, who make discoveries that result in a commercial license, a share of any royalty income. Any such distribution will be undertaken in accordance with BCM policy.