Business
Total Investment of Approx. USD 8.8 Million in Malaria, Tuberculosis, and NTD R&D Projects with Partners Including Mahidol University, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, and Eisai
The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund announced today a total investment of approximately JPY 1.39 billion (USD 8.8 million1) in six R&D projects for the development of drugs, diagnostics and vaccines for malaria, tuberculosis (TB), and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).2
About this update from Eisai Co., Ltd.
[{"type":"text","content":"TOKYO, Feb. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund announced today a total investment of approximately JPY 1.39 billion (USD 8.8 million1) in six R&D projects for the development of drugs, diagnostics and vaccines for malaria, tuberculosis (TB), and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).2","length":332,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Investment of JPY 648 million (approx. USD 4.1 million1) for development of an mRNA vaccine to reduce infection and transmission of vivax malariaMalaria caused by Plasmodium vivax remains a major challenge to malaria elimination efforts due to the parasite's ability to form dormant liver-stage hypnozoites. These dormant parasites may reactivate months or even years after the initial infection, causing recurrent episodes of malaria. In addition to triggering repeated blood infections, reactivation enables transmission back to mosquitoes, allowing the disease to persist within communities. To address this problem, the GHIT Fund is investing JPY 648 million (USD 4.1 million1) in a global partnership aimed at developing an mRNA vaccine to reduce infection and transmission of vivax malaria. This project is being led by Mahidol University and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, and Ehime University in Japan. The investment builds on a prior GHIT-supported project3 that received approximately JPY 70 million (USD 0.4 million1) between 2023 and 2025.","length":1074,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Investment of JPY 93 million (approx. USD 0.6 million1) in diagnostic registration and JPY 183 million (USD 1.1 million1) in drug development for Chagas diseaseChagas disease is a parasitic infection primarily transmitted through the bite of triatomine bugs. It is estimated that more than seven million people worldwide are infected, with the majority of cases occurring in Latin America.4 Mother-to-child transmission also poses a significant public health challenge, making early diagnosis and prompt treatment essential. For the control of congenital Chagas disease, the GHIT Fund is investing JPY 93 million (USD 0.6 million1) in the registration of a point-of-care diagnostic test in Argentina and Bolivia. This project is led by ISGlobal (the Barcelona Institute for Global Health), a research institute in Spain, and Eiken Chemical Co...