Grant for research into alternative malaria treatment

In conjunction with Hanze University Groningen, the Department of Pharmaceutical Biology will perform research into an alternative form of malaria treatment. The Dioraphte Foundation recently awarded the research group a grant of EUR 125,000 to continue the development of a cheap, safe and effective anti-malaria medicine that can be produced in Africa itself. The research will be carried out under the supervision of Prof. Oliver Kayser.

Every thirty seconds, somewhere in the world a child dies of the consequences of malaria. In many cases, the parasite that causes the disease has become resistant to the most commonly used medication. Research is now concentrating on a new medicine as a component of combination therapy: artemisinine. The production of artemisinine is one of the main goals of the Synthetic Biology. However, the extraction of the required ingredient from the Artemisia annua plant is an expensive business. This means that this new medicine is prohibitively expensive for most Africans. Chinese research has shown, however, that there is another, cheaper method of obtaining medicine from the plant. The Pharmaceutical Biology department of the University of Groningen will now perform safety and clinical studies on this method and medicine. The results are expected at the end of next year.

For additional information: Prof. O. Kayser, tel. +31 (0)50-363 3299, e-mail: o.kayser rug.nl