Malaria

As Florida enters peak mosquito season, experts from the University of Florida’s Emerging Pathogens Institute outline key mosquito species and diseases to know

Two new studies advance a potentially groundbreaking transmission-blocking malaria vaccine. UF researcher Rhoel Dinglasan's approach is completely different: Immunizing mosquitoes with malaria transmission-blocking antibodies produced in people.

A malaria vaccine designed by UF professor Rhoel Dinglasan is expected to advance to phase 1 clinical trials, thanks to new funding. The vaccine is designed differently from all others: It immunizes mosquitoes via people.

New research by EPI investigators examines why intervention strategies to mitigate malaria in Zambia began failing several years ago. In a twist, the mechanisms were predicted by a separate EPI investigator in different work published five years earlier.

Ever wonder what scientists are up to behind the scenes, when they are not consumed with crunching data, or endlessly editing papers for publication? They just may be traveling in far-flung places — hunting for data and building relationships with the people and places they study. This is the second photo essay in an occasional series, Science Scenes, in which we invite you to explore how EPI's faculty and affiliate researchers work across the globe.

A new study authored by EPI researcher Rhoel Dinglasan, Ph.D., and colleagues, twists the narrative in the fight against malaria by treating mosquitoes. His team showed that feeding a known antimalarial drug — intended for humans — to infected Anopheles mosquitoes rendered them unable to transmit malaria parasites to new hosts.

A new $1.29 million grant from the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund will support EPI malaria investigator Rhoel Dinglasan’s work to develop a novel saliva-based malaria diagnostic test that catches infections even when victims don’t show symptoms.

Several cases of malaria have been confirmed in regions of Ecuador and Peru where the disease was once considered eliminated. New research by EPI investigator and medical geographer Sadie Ryan ties these cases to the collapse of Venezuela’s public health infrastructure and subsequent flow of emigrants through neighboring countries.

An easy-to-use saliva test to screen for the parasite that causes malaria has been developed by a team of researchers led by Emerging Pathogens Institute faculty member Rhoel Dinglasan.

The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund has awarded $3.2 million to UF, and partners in the U.S. and Japan, to advance a promising vaccine for malaria transmission prevention.