IVCC has great pleasure in announcing that the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques (CSRS) trials facility has been granted Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) certification by the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) in June 2023.

Based in the economic capital of Côte d’Ivoire, Abidjan, the CSRS facility is a longstanding collaborating partner of IVCC. CSRS help IVCC and our industry partners to evaluate new malaria vector control products by conducting studies against local resistant mosquito populations in the environments where they will actually be used. They have also generated product efficacy data for manufacturers for regulatory submissions, including WHO Prequalification Unit Vector Control Product Assessment Team (PQT/VCP) dossier submissions.

IVCC has supported the CSRS trials facility towards GLP certification with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This included support for the essential infrastructure improvements and equipment purchases necessary for full GLP compliance. Pictured is CSRS’s new field trials facility, built at their experimental hut site in Tiassalé. In addition to this, training was provided to key facility staff through participation in GLP workshops and specialist courses. IVCC’s support has also helped further strengthen the capacity for malaria vector control research at CSRS.

Professor Benjamin Koudou, CSRS Director of Research and Development, said: “This tremendous achievement by the team will be key for CSRS visibility within Côte d’Ivoire and abroad. The GLP certification of our facility will help further build the trust that companies, malaria control implementation programmes and other organisations have in our research. We anticipate that this will increase the demand at CSRS for conducting laboratory and field trials in conjunction with the control of malaria and neglected tropical diseases. We are planning now to implement the same quality management facility in our molecular biology laboratory.”

IVCC congratulates Professor Inza Koné (test facility manager), Professor Koudou, Dr Edi Constant (Coordinator of GLP facility), Lisro Emmanuelle (CSRS quality manager), Laurence Yao (GLP Project manager), and all the facility staff on this significant achievement.

To mark World Malaria Day 2023, Malaria No More UK, Conservative Home and the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), brought together scientists, MPs, Peers, supporters, and campaigners to highlight the importance of working together to end malaria.

IVCC attended an evening reception, hosted by Baroness Liz Sugg at the House of Lords. During the event, Louise Marston, an early career researcher affiliated with Target Malaria, highlighted the importance of innovation, along with research and development to end malaria. Peter Sands, Executive Director of The Global Fund, spoke about the growing challenges facing malaria eradication: including climate change and conflict. He stressed the importance of continued commitment to accelerate the progress toward zero malaria. To close, attendees heard from Olympic medallist and malaria survivor, Anyika Onuora, who described her experience of falling ill with malaria ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics and the importance of continued investment to end malaria.

You can read more about the event and its participants in this Twitter thread by APPG on Malaria and NTDs.

Earlier in the day, IVCC CEO, Justin McBeath joined Andrew Mitchell (MP), Minister of State for Development and Africa for the United Kingdom, at a roundtable event, hosted by Malaria No More UK and Conservative Home.

The event raised the profile of Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) and their critical role in driving public-private partnerships to develop new health products for malaria elimination. David Reddy, CEO of Medicines of Malaria Venture (MMV) and Fiona Smith-Laittan, VP Global Health at GSK, also attended the event, along with United Kingdom government representatives such as James Sunderland MP, member of the APPG on Malaria and NTDs and Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Home Secretary and Baroness Liz Sugg.

Image: Members of UK Parliament and House of Lords stand with (L to R), Baroness Lizz Sugg, Anyika Onuora, Louise Marston and Peter Sands. Credit: Malaria No More UK / Freya Turner.

IVCC’s External Scientific Advisory Committee (ESAC) welcomes two new experts, Dr Egon Weinmueller and Dr Samwel Okello. They join following a ‘call for experts’ in the development and manufacturing of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs).

The ESAC provides expert specialist technical assessments of IVCC’s portfolio of products, including project selection, transition, and termination. They provide advice to the IVCC management team during periodic reviews of the projects. Membership of the ESAC is through nomination of candidates with the required expertise.

Dr Egon Weinmueller has a PhD in Agriculture, International Trade and Policy. He is member of RBM VCWG. Egon retired from BASF after a career including Regional Management responsibilities for BASF Agricultural Products Division in various parts of the world and as head of the BASF Global Public Health unit in developing and bringing new products to market for indoor residual spraying (IRS) and ITNs.

Dr Samwel Okello brings 10 years of research experience in vector-borne diseases. He is currently involved in developing and improving technologies that save lives, including Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets, Indoor Residual Sprays, Larvicides and Spatial Repellents. Samwel brings a wealth of experienced in evaluation of vector control products in laboratory and semi-field studies using standard WHO protocols. He formerly worked for International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology as a research fellow in arbovirus research.

More details on the role and responsibilities of ESAC members, visit ivcc.com/research-development/esacs/

Dr Egon Weinmueller

Dr Samwel Okello

Today, April 25^th,  we recognise World Malaria Day. It is an occasion to highlight the impact that this disease has on the under-served populations in endemic countries; to galvanise global efforts to end malaria and emphasise the need for sustained political commitment and continued investment for malaria control and elimination.

Since the year 2000, the scale-up of interventions in countries, supported by global partnerships and sustained investment, has transformed the fight against malaria – preventing 2 billion malaria cases, saving 11.7 million lives, and putting eradication within reach.

However, significant challenges lie ahead. Insecticide and drug resistance, new biological threats, the impact of climate change and humanitarian emergencies, as well as funding gaps and pressure on resources threaten to stall progress toward malaria eradication goals.

The theme of this year’s World Malaria Day, ‘Innovate, Invest and Implement’, highlights the role that innovation plays, across the malaria community, to address the future challenges.

IVCC has had the responsibility of steering investments from various funding organisations over the past 15+ years into the development and delivery of new vector control tools, in partnership with industry.

Investments over the last decade have been successful, with new products (both in ITNs and IRS insecticides) developed and deployed and delivering impact in countries.

Insecticide resistance remains one of the biggest threats to achieving malaria elimination. Industry engagement and support via partnership with IVCC, have delivered innovations to address this threat.

Products such as the recently WHO-PQ listed VECTRON™ T500, a new indoor residual spray product, developed by Mitsui Chemicals Crop & Life Solutions, Inc. containing TENEBENAL™; Interceptor® G2 from BASF, a dual active ingredient net for which a WHO-GMP Policy Recommendation was just finalised; and previously WHO-PQ Listed products such as Actellic^®300CS (co-developed by Syngenta), SumiShield™ 50WG (developed by Sumitomo Chemical) and Fludora® Fusion (developed by Bayer), contain different modes of action which can be rotated by country malaria control programs, expand the available toolbox, and are critical to preserve the long-term effectiveness of insecticide-based vector control interventions.

The pipeline for the future also shows promise; particularly for resistance management – with some brand-new insecticide modes of action potentially available for use on ITNs. But it is by no means certain. Solutions to address other threats (e.g. residual transmission and outdoor biting) are needed.

Technically, it is feasible to address some of these challenges – we know how to develop and deliver the needed innovation, but it will take continued engagement and/or investment from all relevant sectors. We must deliver on the current pipeline of existing tools and at the same time identify new solutions to address emerging challenges. It is critical that this is done together with country programs and implementing partners to ensure local relevance and impact amongst the countries and people that need them.

Where there are significant economic barriers to product innovation for industry, incentives are needed to encourage innovators to support the development of public health tools. The signing of the US EPA Vector Expedited Review Voucher (VERV), championed by IVCC following a policy proposal by Duke University, into law in late 2022 is an example of an initiative to stimulate investment in the development of innovative vector control solutions to help advance malaria elimination.

Market access activities, such as the catalytic market shaping work under the Unitaid and Global Fund supported New Nets Project (NNP), are a crucially important for introducing and implementing new innovation. The NNP laid the foundation for ensuring equitable and affordable access to new dual active ingredient nets such as Interceptor® G2 and Royal Guard® (developed by Disease Control Technologies).  As we move toward the introduction of novel interventions to address challenges in the future, that there will be benefits to, indeed a need for, similar approaches.

On this World Malaria Day, IVCC highlights the challenges on the road to malaria elimination, what role vector control plays in addressing them, and echoes this year’s World Malaria Day theme of ‘Innovate, Invest and Implement’ as the crucial components necessary to end malaria.

On 28th March, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNGIMR) officially opened the Belna Natnat Haus, a new entomological facility in Madang province on the north coast of the country.

Named after its location in Belna and the tok pisin word ‘natnat’ for mosquito, the construction of the laboratory was a key part of a partnership between IVCC, PNGIMR, National Department of Health (NDoH), Madang Provincial Health Authority, Burnet Institute, James Cook University (JCU) and Rotarians Against Malaria (RAM).

The NATNAT programme (Newly Adapted Tools Network Against vector-borne disease Transmission) has been funded by IVCC since 2019 through funds from Australia’s Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

NATNAT is led by PNGIMR, Burnet Institute and James Cook University to build the capacity in Papua New Guinea (PNG) for the rapid evaluation and adoption of new vector control tools and comprises capacity building both of facilities and skills, a range of laboratory, semi-field and field evaluations of new tools and liaison with stakeholders on the scale up of those tools shown to be effective.

The newly developed site consists of a laboratory, insectary, and a semi-field tunnel system with an experimental hut system to be completed later in 2023.

The laboratory has been operational since 2022, with staff and fixtures moving over from the old PNGIMR site in Yagaum, but the official opening was held this week and welcomed delegates from PNG NDoH, DFAT, RAM, IVCC, the local community and a range of other national stakeholders.

The Belna Natnat Haus will be an important part of the fight against vector-borne disease in a country where malaria rates are increasing and where the most commonly deployed tool (LLINs) are not sufficient on their own to combat local vector species with early, outdoor biting behaviours.

It is hoped the facility will also have a regional impact beyond PNG and plans are already underway on future development work to maximise the capability and impact of the site.

Dr Moses Laman, deputy director of the institute and project Principal Investigator said, “This facility provides a great opportunity for PNG and the Pacific region to be able to generate data that will enable NMCPs to make informed decisions, build capacity and create a conducive research environment now and into the future.”

Team in front of experimental tunnel system. Paul Daly (Burnet Institute), Leanne Robinson (Burnet Institute), Moses Laman (PNGIMR), Stephan Karl (PNGIMR/James Cook University), Rachel Farquahr (Burnet Institute).

Credit: Fred Yeomans (IVCC)

Featured image: Moses Laman, PNGIMR

Credit: Evelien Rosens (Burnet Institute)