Malaria Research and Innovation at USAID
A longstanding commitment with proven results
USAID’s investments in malaria research and innovation have changed the landscape of malaria prevention and treatment. Thanks to USAID support, pioneering studies provided the evidence needed to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of life-saving interventions including insecticide-treated mosquito nets and seasonal preventive treatments for children. Now, these tools are core components of global malaria prevention and control efforts—protecting families and saving lives.
USAID continues to contribute to ensuring a pipeline of new tools to stay ahead of ever-evolving mosquitoes and malaria parasites. Through investments in the Innovative Vector Control Consortium and the Medicines for Malaria Venture, USAID contributes to development of new insecticides for mosquito nets and spraying homes and new treatments to combat drug resistance and protect vulnerable populations.
USAID has also been a driving force in malaria vaccine development for more than 50 years, investing more than $157 million since 2000. As part of this portfolio,USAID supported the research that identified a critical protein that made the world’s first World Health Organization approved malaria vaccine possible. Today, USAID maintains a vaccine development portfolio that includes both public and private partnerships with a goal of accelerating access to efficacious, durable, and affordable vaccines.
USAID supports the development of new and improved insecticides to combat insecticide resistance–ensuring that the tools used to protect communities are effective and available when they are needed.
Current Research Priorities
Development of malaria vaccines, novel insecticide-based vector control tools, and new antimalarial drugs are USAID's current research and development priorities.
Malaria Vaccine Development Program
USAID’s Malaria Vaccine Development Program partners with private and public sector researchers to develop and evaluate novel vaccines targeting multiple stages of the malaria parasite’s life cycle aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality in children living in malaria-endemic areas of the world.
Innovative Vector Control Consortium
The Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) is a not-for-profit, public-private partnership whose mission is to save lives, protect health, and increase prosperity in areas where diseases transmitted by insects are endemic. IVCC targets practical scientific solutions to accelerate the process from innovation to impact, such as developing new insecticides for malaria control. USAID provides financial support for IVCC’s vector control research and development work. A key focus of USAID’s support has been to provide targeted funding to build and maintain the capacity of critical research institutes in Sub-Saharan Africa to test new insecticides as they move along the product development pathway.
Medicines for Malaria Venture
Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) is a product development partnership in the field of antimalarial drug research and development. Its mission is to reduce the burden of malaria by discovering, developing, and delivering new, effective, and affordable antimalarial medicines. In partnership with MMV, USAID helped advance Coartem Dispersible—the first child-friendly artemisinin-based combination therapy for malaria, which is now widely used across countries. MMV also supported the development of tafenoquine, a single-dose cure for relapsing malaria, and artesunate-pyronaridine as an additional therapy to diversify treatments for uncomplicated malaria. Support from USAID also contributes to the development of new medicines for the prevention of malaria in pregnancy and new classes of antimalarial drugs with the potential to be effective against drug-resistant strains of the parasite.
Innovation
USAID streamlines processes, monitors and adjusts programmatic implementation, participates in market shaping initiatives, and works collaboratively with other partners to foster meaningful innovation. As a leading buyer of malaria products, USAID actively engages with the global malaria marketplace to ensure access to quality malaria prevention, diagnosis, and treatment products at affordable prices. Through strategic sourcing and market analysis, USAID contributes to substantial reductions in the price of critical malaria products such as rapid diagnostic tests, as well as accelerated introduction of innovations including newer types of mosquito nets and treatments that are effective against insecticide and drug resistance .
Learn more about the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative
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