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Malaria Synergy Program

The Malaria Synergy Program (MSP) brings together experts with complementary expertise into a multidisciplinary program to address major roadblocks to achieving the goals of malaria elimination in the Asia-Pacific region and globally.

Objective 

Malaria is a major global health problem. Progress in reducing the global burden stalled in 2015 and the burden increased in 2020. The Malaria Synergy Program aims to generate new knowledge, tools, and strategies to overcome major roadblocks in malaria detection, treatment, and prevention to accelerate progress towards elimination of malaria caused by P. Falciparum and P. vivax.

Timeline

2023–2028.

Approach

The Malaria Synergy Program investigators and their teams will focus on developing novel approaches to optimise drug treatment, achieving highly efficacious and long-lasting vaccines, and developing novel tools to map and discover drivers of malaria transmission.
 
Our three core themes are:

  • new tools to detect and target malaria transmission; develop multi-parameter tools to accurately measure malaria transmission and guide targeted interventions and predict the emergence and spread of drug resistance
  • optimising drug treatments and combating resistance;  optimise antimalarial combination therapies to treat drug-resistant P. falciparum malaria and develop strategies to better target P. vivax and clear dormant liver-stage infections
  • maximising the efficacy and impact of vaccines; identify the key determinants of vaccine efficacy and longevity and define antigenic diversity of vaccine candidates and identify strategies to overcome vaccine escape.

Partners

Funding partners

National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)

Collaborators

  • University of Melbourne (Professor Julie Simpson, Peixuan Li, David Price, Peta Edler, Sophia Zaloumis, Ali Hagri, Megha Rajasekhar)
  • WEHI (Professor Ivo Mueller, Eamon Conway, Rhea Longley, Lauren Smith)
  • Deakin University (Charles Narh, Paolo Bareng, Zahra Razook, Kirsty McCann)

Project contacts

Professor James Beeson

Professor James Beeson

Deputy Director, Research Strategy; Head, Malaria Immunity and Vaccines Group; Adjunct Professor, Monash University
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Project team

Professor James Beeson

Professor James Beeson

Deputy Director, Research Strategy; Head, Malaria Immunity and Vaccines Group; Adjunct Professor, Monash University
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Professor Freya J.I. Fowkes

Professor Freya J.I. Fowkes

Deputy Program Director, Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health; Head, Malaria and Infectious Disease Epidemiology
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Professor Alyssa Barry

Professor Alyssa Barry

Honorary Principal Research Fellow
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Professor Leanne Robinson

Professor Leanne Robinson

Program Director, Health Security and Pandemic Preparedness; Senior Principal Research Fellow, Group Leader, Vector-Borne Diseases and Tropical Public Health
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Dr Fiona Angrisano

Dr Fiona Angrisano

Deputy Working Group Head, Vector-borne Diseases and Tropical Public Health; Transmission Biology Team Lead
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Associate Professor Michelle Boyle

Associate Professor Michelle Boyle

Head, Cellular Responses to Disease and Vaccination Group; Snow Medical Fellow
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Dr Jo-Anne Chan

Dr Jo-Anne Chan

Senior Postdoctoral Research Scientist
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Dr Sandra Chishimba

Dr Sandra Chishimba

Postdoctoral Researcher/Research Officer
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Chiara Drago

Chiara Drago

Research Assistant
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Dr Daniela da Silva  Goncalves

Dr Daniela da Silva Goncalves

Laboratory Manager
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Timothy Ho

Timothy Ho

PhD student
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Jessica Horton

Jessica Horton

Honorary Associate
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Alessia Hysa

Alessia Hysa

PhD Student
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Dr Ellen Kearney

Dr Ellen Kearney

Honorary Research Fellow
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Dr Liriye Kurtovic

Dr Liriye Kurtovic

Postdoctoral Research Officer
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Dulcie  Lautu-Gumal

Dulcie Lautu-Gumal

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Jessie Lu-Lee

Jessie Lu-Lee

Project Manager
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Dr Herbert Opi

Dr Herbert Opi

Senior Research Fellow
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Dr Damian Oyong

Dr Damian Oyong

Research Officer
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Kaitlin Pekin

Kaitlin Pekin

Research Assistant
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Dr Linda Reiling

Dr Linda Reiling

Senior Research Officer, Malaria Research: Immunity, Vaccines and New Therapies
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Dr Adam Thomas

Dr Adam Thomas

Senior Research Officer - Malaria Vaccines
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Grace Wright

Grace Wright

Masters Student
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Dr Lee Yeoh

Dr Lee Yeoh

Postdoctoral Fellow
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