Target Malaria; How Malaria innovation is researched, assessed and Tested

Written by; Edrisa Ssentongo

Recently the world malaria day was celebrated and across the African continent scientists are exploring new ways to reduce the spread of deadliest disease on the continent.

While significant progress has been made over a period of two decades in fighting the spread of Malaria, the 2025 Africa Malaria progress report indicated that the momentum has stalled due to massive investment gaps, donor fatigue and economic downturns and the withdrawal of major initiatives such as the presidential malaria initiative and funding shortfalls for the Gavi malaria vaccine program which leaves a critical resource gap.

Despise the efforts, Africa has fallen short of the African Union target of eliminating malaria by 2030 with signs indicating that since 2015 it's only a handful of countries reaching key reduction milestones with widening global funding gaps and other challenges such as insecticide resistance, climate pressures and the African fragile health systems which raise concerns that malaria could surge if investment and innovation are not priotized.

The suspected malaria surge calls for researchers to study complementary approaches that could strengthen malaria prevention to save lives among these is gene drive technology, an approach scientists are in investigating as possible innovation that could complement existing intervations such as bad nets, insecticides, drugs and vaccines.

Gene drive technology uses genetic engineering to bypass traditional inheritance rules ensuring a modified gene spreads through almost 99% of the mosquito population.

This tool aims to combat malaria by either suppressing population numbers such as causing female infertility or replacing them with mosquitoes unable to transmit the plasmodium parasite.

Developing gene drive technology is a long and meticulous process that begins in highly controlled laboratory environments.
Researchers design genetic modifications and carefully introduce them into mosquitoes embryos using extremely fine needles under microscope  and the process is done after mosquito eggs are laid, when embryos are at tight stage development.

Because of the procedure is delicate, not all modified embryos will produce modified mosquitoes and if the genetic modification doesn't succeed scientists can then identify mosquitoes which carry the genetic modification and establish laboratory colonies to continue studying the trait over multiple generations.

These colonies allow researchers to observe how the modification is passed on over whether it is tied at expected rates and once a colony has been established scientists carry out extensive laboratory testing to study how mosquitoes behave and how modification spreads.

" Innovation and investment are essential in the fight against malaria but also is transparency, people must understand how new technologies are researched, assessed and tested before they are considered for use, said Dr. Martin Lukindu Postdoctoral research associate of Target malaria project at Uganda virus research institute.

" Gene mosquitoes are still in the research phase and all studies are currently conducted in contained laboratories in Europe, United States not Africa, before any future use could be considered extensive safety studies must be completed, followed by regulatory review in countries where research could take place, engagement with communities and authorities would be required and as scientists our goal remains to reduce malaria transmission and save African lives, added Dr. Martin Lukindu.