University of Georgia — Malaria Vaccine Research

[Human Health and Wellbeing] Open Philanthropy recommended a grant of $2,776,791 over three years to the University of Georgia to support their research, led by Dr. Chester Joyner, testing a vaccine against pMIF in non-human primates. pMIF is a protein that is secreted by Plasmodium falciparum (a pathogen that causes malaria); this research will evaluate whether the vaccine enhances the development of malaria immunity. This research will be done in collaboration with Dr. Richard Bucala at Yale University, whose work we are also supporting. Our science team believes that vaccinating against pMIF may provide an important boost to the efficacy of existing malaria vaccines. This falls within our focus area of scientific research, specifically within our interest in advancing human health and wellbeing. The grant amount was updated in August 2024.