The fight against malaria receives a significant boost as the Michael Delves Lab at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) secures a $115,000 grant to further its Antimalarial Drug Discovery Project. The project, in collaboration with the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), aims to develop novel antimalarial compounds targeting gametocytes, the sexual stages of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite responsible for severe human malaria.

In its third consecutive year at LSHTM, and spanning 15 years across different institutions, the Delves Lab's initiative focuses on screening new antimalarial compounds for "transmission-blocking" activity, crucial for interrupting the cycle of infection and aiding malaria elimination efforts.

Utilizing a groundbreaking high throughput screening assay, the lab can evaluate the effectiveness of antimalarial drugs on both male and female gametocytes simultaneously, a vital step as each sex responds differently to treatment. This innovative approach, conducted in a 384-well plate format using automated microscopy, has enabled the screening of over 100,000 compounds to date.

Mufuliat Famodimu, a key member of the research team, expressed profound career fulfilment, stating, "Running an assay that is indispensable in the search for new antimalarial chemotypes for the ultimate goal of malaria eradication is to me a profound career fulfilment."

The data generated through this initiative has been instrumental in identifying promising new antimalarial molecules, with some progressing to Phase II clinical trials. With continued support from MMV and other partners, the Delves Lab remains committed to advancing the development of effective antimalarial therapies, bringing us one step closer to the eradication of this deadly disease.