To mark World Malaria Day, the Centre for Innovation in Infectious Disease and Immunology Research (CIIDIR) hosted a research seminar bringing together speakers working across different areas of malaria research.
This seminar provided an opportunity to reflect on the global progress in malaria control, while also recognising the challenges that continue to shape efforts towards elimination. This year’s theme, ‘Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must’ highlighted both the urgency and the opportunity to move forward through innovation and collaboration.
The seminar highlighted how these different perspectives contribute to a shared goal of reducing transmission and moving towards elimination.
Global progress and ongoing challenges
While significant progress was made in reducing malaria cases and deaths between 2000 and 2015, this progress has slowed in recent years. Since 2016, global trends have plateaued, with some regions experiencing resurgence. Disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic also showed how quickly progress can be affected if efforts are not sustained.
Current projections from the World Health Organization (WHO) suggest that, without new approaches, the gap between global targets and outcomes will continue to widen. In response, the WHO updated the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria (2016–2030) in 2021, reinforcing that malaria elimination is shaped by a range of interconnected factors including surveillance, epidemiology, parasite biology, mosquito vectors, immunity, and health systems.
Addressing drug resistance through innovative approaches
The keynote presentation by Dr. Natalie Counihan focused on the growing challenge of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. Artemisinin based combination therapies remain the frontline treatment for malaria; however, resistance has increased over the past two decades and continues to pose a significant concern.
The presentation explored how changes in parasite biology can reduce treatment effectiveness, and highlighted emerging approaches that aim to restore drug sensitivity including research into compounds derived from broccoli sprouts.
In a memorable closing note, Dr. Natalie reminded the audience that solutions can come from unexpected places, perhaps even as simple as adding a little more broccoli to our diets.
Research across systems and molecular mechanisms
The seminar also featured presentations that reflected the breadth of malaria research. Win Htike examined health system readiness for malaria elimination in the Greater Mekong Subregion, highlighting the importance of strong infrastructure and coordinated policy implementation. Sonakshi Madan presented work on the molecular epidemiology of Plasmodium falciparum, providing insights into patterns of transmission and sources of resurgent infection in low-transmission settings.
At the molecular level, Michaela Grima explored parasite-driven mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, focusing on how infected red blood cells produce extracellular vesicles. This work aims to better understand where and how these vesicles are generated, and how they contribute to parasite survival and disease progression. Finally, Katie Stanhope addressed the immunological challenges associated with genetic diversity in malaria vaccine candidate antigens, emphasising the implications for developing effective and broadly protective vaccines.
All together, these presentations demonstrated that malaria remains a complex and adaptive disease requiring sustained scientific innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration. From molecular biology and immunology to epidemiology and health systems research, each area contributes critical knowledge to the broader effort.
World Malaria Day 2026 serves as a reminder that while challenges remain, continued research, collaboration, and innovation are essential to sustaining progress and moving closer to malaria elimination.