From groundbreaking research to global partnerships, the forum balanced forward progress with the need for urgent action.
On April 24, the newly launched Center for Malaria and Vector-Borne Diseases at the Institute for Global Health Sciences marked World Malaria Day by convening more than one hundred researchers, innovators, funders, and global health partners at a forum focused on accelerating progress toward malaria elimination. The event, held at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Mission Bay and in collaboration with the UCSF Division for HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, underscored gains made during the past two decades, as well as the sobering challenges that remain.
Forum speakers highlighted that global efforts have averted billions of malaria cases and millions of deaths since 2000, driven by interventions such as insecticide-treated nets, effective therapies, and expanded access to care. However, progress has slowed in recent years, with rising case numbers in some regions and a disproportionate burden in sub-Saharan Africa.
The numbers remain staggering: nearly 600,000 people die of malaria every year, most of whom are young children, with almost half of the global malaria burden concentrated in just five countries. Drug and insecticide resistance, climate-related disruptions to health systems, reduced foreign aid and shifting funding priorities, geopolitical instability, and misinformation and declining trust in science and vaccines are all threats to progress.
To buttress against these headwinds, the forum’s participants emphasized the critical role of partnerships across academia, government, and industry. Discussions included ongoing collaborations with endemic countries, such as Ghana, where efforts are increasingly focused on sustainable, community-led approaches to malaria prevention and control.
During his keynote address, Thierry Diagana, head of global health at Novartis, struck a balanced, yet hopeful tone. Diagana outlined the next frontier of malaria drug development (the Novartis global health drug pipeline includes seven compounds for malaria) and announced the WHO’s prequalification of the first antimalarial formulation for newborns and young infants (developed by Novartis) earlier that day. In addition to research and development, Diagana said the field must leverage “the full ecosystem” of philanthropy, governments, financial institutions and the private sector to deliver these drug discoveries to millions of people who remain at the margins of healthcare.
A panel discussion followed on the current state and future prospects of malaria vaccines, with insights from academia (UCSF and Stanford University) and funders (Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance).
Later, lightning talks showcased cutting-edge research from UCSF, UC Berkeley, and Stanford University researchers, with emerging insights into parasite biology and immunology, antimalarial drug resistance, and data-driven strategies for precision targeting of interventions. These advances offer new opportunities to address evolving transmission patterns and improve the effectiveness of malaria control programs.
Despite the optimism, speakers stressed that scientific progress alone is insufficient. There was wide agreement that declines in global health financing pose a serious risk to sustaining and scaling interventions, with potential consequences for millions of people, as highlighted by Chris Collins, CEO and President at Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
The event concluded with a call to action. Achieving a malaria-free world will require sustained investment, continued innovation, and deepened collaboration across sectors.
Reflecting on the day, Allison Tatarsky, director of the Malaria Elimination Initiative and co-director of the Center for Malaria and Vector-Borne Diseases, echoed the call for collaboration. “We’re thrilled to see the energy, commitment, and innovation coming out of the Bay Area to tackle one of the world’s most enduring diseases,” she said. “We invite others to the table as we collectively work to end malaria once and for all.”