The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently donated over $250M towards research on Malaria. The money is primarily directed at two efforts: a) development of a Malaria vaccine, and b) development of more effective drugs to treat existing infections.
This was a significant philanthropic move by a single foundation or individual towards a disease that affects the third-world (mostly Africa) and has proven to be a challenge to control. But more than the amount of donation or the cause, what was impressive to me is the 'Malaria Vaccine Technology Roadmap' and an associated global collaborative forum that resulted from this initiative.
This initiative comes with a clear vision (to save children under five in sub-saharan Africa from Malaria-related deaths, implying that the research will only focus on p. falciparum which is the most virulent of all Malarial forms) and strategic goals (to produce a v1.0 of vaccine by 2015 which will be 50% effective against severe infections and a v2.0 of vaccine by 2025 which will be 80% effective against severe infections...)
There are a number of stakeholders involved in this effort (research institutions, pharma companies, foundations, etc.) and its 'culture' appears to be completely collaborative and result-oriented. This is no longer knowledge for knowledge's sake. Success will not be measured by 'winning scientific achievement awards'.
Malaria has been researched for decades, although most of the effort has been primarily an R&D pursuit by the academics. The pharma companies have little interest in a disease which affects people in the third world that can barely afford food let alone diagnostics and treatment from these debilitating infections (of which Malaria is only one of many). Their efforts are also hampered by a parasite that has been very elusive to the immune system by constantly altering its physical form and antigenic nature (see antigenic variations in Malarial parasite below). The challenge to produce an effective vaccine, therefore, is enormous.
For once, a project of such significance towards saving lives has many stakeholders and drivers (and a roadmap) to ensure that the results can be measured and achieved. I have rarely seen such an organized, goal-oriented and collaborative effort in medical research. Its about time. Way to go Bill!!
-Sanjiva, Orinda, Dec 3, 2005.
http://www.malariavaccineroadmap.net/pdfs/stake_summary.pdf
http://www.brown.edu/Courses/Bio_160/Projects1999/av/malaria.html
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