The Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation Commits $10 Million Gift to Address the Ebola Crisis

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation today announced a $10 million commitment to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and other non-profit organizations supporting the urgent response to the active outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola Disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has now spread to Uganda. The grant will support critical response efforts, including disease surveillance, contact tracing, case management, laboratory capacity, and the protection of frontline healthcare worker.

Bundibugyo virus disease is a severe and often fatal form of Ebola. During previous outbreaks in Uganda in 2007 and the DRC in 2012, case fatality rates ranged from approximately 30% to 50%. As of June 5, 2026, the DRC Ministry of Health had reported 381 confirmed cases, including 64 deaths, while Uganda had reported 19 confirmed cases and two deaths, resulting in a confirmed case fatality rate of approximately 17% to date.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, 2026, followed by the Africa CDC’s declaration of a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security on May 18, 2026. With no licensed vaccine or approved targeted treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease, outbreak control depends on early detection, rapid isolation, supportive care, and the protection of frontline healthcare workers. In response to the escalating crisis, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong has been invited by both the WHO and Africa CDC to participate in ongoing scientific and clinical discussions to help strengthen the global response during this ongoing crisis.

“I was born and raised in South Africa, and the crisis unfolding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda is deeply concerning to me as an African-born American,” said Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, on behalf of the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation. “After being invited to speak with physicians, scientists and leadership at the WHO and Africa CDC who are involved in the response, as well as academia researchers working to develop vaccines against this virus, our foundation has agreed to urgently support these critical efforts.

The reality is stark… this is an outbreak for which there is currently no licensed vaccine and no specific treatment. The factors that will determine survival are early detection, rapid isolation, supportive clinical care, and the protection of frontline healthcare workers. The Africa CDC is leading the continental response, and the CSSFF will contribute resources to help reach affected communities. I will continue working alongside public health institutions committed to Africa to help contain this outbreak and mitigate its impact.”

This is not Dr. Soon-Shiong’s first involvement with infectious diseases in Africa. The Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation’s commitment to addressing infectious diseases and health disparities in Africa spans many years. In 2021, he was introduced to the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), a Washington-based nonprofit organization focused on developing vaccines and treatments for diseases that affect underserved populations in Africa, including tuberculosis (TB), malaria, hookworm and HIV. At the time, IDRI was in receivership due to financial struggles and organizational mismanagement.

In early 2022, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong was contacted by IDRI and its court-appointed receiver to explore whether the CSSFF could help save the organization from receivership. Recognizing the importance of IDRI’s work in Africa and its mission to combat life-threatening infectious diseases in underserved countries, CSSFF agreed to rescue IDRI with a $26 million grant. When it emerged from receivership, IDRI changed its name to Access to Advanced Health Institute (AAHI).

To date, CSSFF has funded $19 million of the $26 million grant. The remaining funding of the CSSIFM grant is contingent on the State of Washington affirming that both AAHI's mission and the grant commitment remain bound to the continued support of Africa, as set out in the grant agreement and reflected in IDRI's history. AAHI remains positioned to carry out its mission to develop therapeutics and vaccines for the public good.

Effective June 5, 2026, Dr. Soon-Shiong is stepping down from AAHI to dedicate his time and resources directly to African institutions leading the response to the developing Ebola crisis. CSSFF has concluded that its objectives are best advanced through direct action and engagement with organizations on the front lines of healthcare delivery across Africa.

About IDRI

The Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), founded in Seattle in 1993, was a nonprofit biotechnology research organization with the mission of applying innovative science to develop diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines for infectious diseases of global importance, with a substantial portion of its work directed at disease burdens concentrated in Africa. IDRI combined the scientific rigor of an academic institution with the product development capabilities of a biotechnology company, and was recognized for its expertise in adjuvant systems and vaccine formulation. Its tuberculosis program advanced the candidate ID93 + GLA-SE, a recombinant fusion protein antigen combined with IDRI's proprietary GLA-SE adjuvant, into a Phase 2a clinical trial in South Africa that demonstrated an acceptable safety profile and induced antigen specific immune responses. To support regional manufacturing capacity, IDRI partnered with the Cape Town based organizations Afrigen Biologics and the Biovac Institute to produce a tuberculosis vaccine. Alongside tuberculosis, IDRI conducted clinical programs in leishmaniasis and leprosy and collaborated with research and manufacturing partners across the African continent and worldwide. IDRI went into receivership in 2019 following financial and management difficulties.

About AAHI

The Access to Advanced Health Institute (AAHI) is a nonprofit biotechnology research organization based in Seattle, Washington, dedicated to developing vaccines, immunotherapies, diagnostics, and adjuvant formulations that are effective, affordable, and accessible regardless of geography or income. Formerly known as Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), AAHI resumed independent operation under its current name after exiting from receivership in early 2022. AAHI advances products from discovery through clinical development by integrating its expertise in adjuvant systems, vaccine platform technologies, and formulation science, with the goal of harnessing the human immune system to protect against infectious disease and other global health threats. For more information, visit AAHI.org.

About AAAH

Africa's Access to Advanced Healthcare (AAAH) is a coalition launched in January 2022 whose mission is to facilitate access to innovative vaccines and cancer immunotherapies by establishing production facilities for advanced biologics in sub-Saharan Africa, conducting research and discovery in next-generation immune-enhancing medical products, and building research and manufacturing capacity across the African continent. The Coalition was formed in partnership with the Access to Advanced Health Institute (AAHI) and is supported by funding from Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, NantWorks, and the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation. Its planned footprint includes new institutes across multiple African countries, including South Africa, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda.

About the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation

The Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation (CSSFF) is a private philanthropic organization whose mission is to inspire hope and improve lives by investing in innovative visions and partnering with individuals and institutions committed to advancements in science, medicine, and the arts. The Foundation works with interdisciplinary organizations to provide the tools, research, and resources needed to advance these visions, with a particular focus on transforming health and health care, eroding disparities in access, and building a system that aims first to keep people healthy and second to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality care when they need it.