GHIT Fund Japan
07.08.2025 - 17:59:57Total Investment of Approx. USD 7.3 Million in Malaria and TB R&D Projects With Partners Including European Vaccine Initiative, University of Copenhagen, and University of Tübingen
ID: T2024-153
Project Title
ZOO-RDT: Validating a novel biomarker and associated reagents for diagnosis of
acute zoonotic malaria in southeast Asia
Collaboration
Partners
1. Ehime University (Japan)
2. Universiti Malaysia Sabah (Malaysia)
Disease
Malaria
Intervention
Diagnostics
Stage
Target Research
Awarded Amount
JPY 64,693,198 (USD 0.4 million)
Status
New project
Summary
[Project objective]
There are no P. knowlesi-specific point-of-care (PoC) tests. Rapid diagnostic tests
based on the pLDH biomarker show high cross-reactivity between P. vivax and P.
knowlesi making them impossible to distinguish. Current diagnostic practices take
time and delay patient access to treatment. Simple, accessible PoC tools are urgently
required. Identification of P. knowlesi-specific diagnostic markers has been largely
neglected. The serine repeat antigen (sera) multigene family has been extensively
studied in P. falciparum and rodent parasite lines and plays critical roles across the
parasite life cycle. The P. knowlesi Serine Repeat Antigen 3 (PkSERA3) antigen 2
has been identified as a P. knowlesi-specific exposure marker, with laboratory and
population-level evaluations showing no cross-reactivity with P. vivax, a
phylogenetically closely related species. The project team will use this antigen to
develop reagents for a P. knowlesi PoC diagnostic test.
[Project design]
Overall aim: Validate novel biomarker(s) and associated monoclonal antibodies for
lateral flow assay development for the diagnosis of acute infections.
Objective 1: Reagent optimisation: the optimised PkSERA3 ag 2 protein plus two
variants will be used in the generation of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).
Objective 2: Analytical and clinical validation of PkSERA3 Ag2 and variants as
species-specific indicators of acute P. knowlesi infection across epidemiological
zones.
Objective 3: Assessment of Technical Feasibility in the lateral flow system. The best
performing mAbs will be assayed by ELISA, and further down-selection will lead to
selected mAbs being printed onto test strips. Antibody reagents will be provided to a
diagnostic test developer Contract Research Organization (CRO) to validate the
technical feasibility of integrating the developed mAbs into a lateral-flow RDT.
Objective 4: Stakeholder consultation to understand the preferred test design, and to
inform Product Design and generate evidence for a business case for this novel
malaria RDT.
Target results: Validated P. knowlesi-specific mAb reagent for use in LFA
development.
Project Detail
https://www.ghitfund.org/investment/portfoliodetail/detail/243/en
ID: T2024-253
Project Title
Harnessing genome mining for novel tuberculosis antibiotics
Collaboration
Partners
1. The University of Auckland (New Zealand)
2. The University of Tokyo (Japan)
Disease
Tuberculosis
Intervention
Drug
Stage
Target Research
Awarded Amount
JPY 100,000,000 (USD 0.6 million)
Status
New project
Summary
[Project objective]
In the short term, this project aims to enhance TB antibiotic discovery by identifying
secondary metabolites that specifically target essential metabolic pathways in M.
tuberculosis. By focusing on mechanisms absent in mammalian cells, the project
team aims to identify secondary metabolites with selective antimicrobial activity and
minimal side effects in humans. This selectivity is expected to improve patient
experience, compliance, and treatment outcomes. Early identification and testing of
these compounds against purified proteins, M. tuberculosis cells, and human
macrophage infection models will provide critical insights into their efficacy and
potential as new therapeutic agents.
In the long term, this project team's goal is to translate these research findings into
clinical applications, offering new treatment options for TB patients worldwide. A
key strength of this proposal is this project team's established expertise and drug
development pipeline, specifically in the TB context, which will be instrumental in
advancing subsequent research and development phases.
[Project design]
Despite significant advances in understanding the metabolic features essential for M.
tuberculosis, developing new antibiotics remains a major challenge. Enzyme
inhibitors often exhibit limited activity against M. tuberculosis, and many bioactive
compounds have unclear modes of action. To overcome these challenges, the project
team will (a) identify secondary metabolites that specifically target key metabolic
pathways in M. tuberculosis, and (b) test these metabolites against purified proteins
and M. tuberculosis cells to assess their effects on bacterial growth and pathogenesis.
Project Detail
https://www.ghitfund.org/investment/portfoliodetail/detail/244/en
ID: T2024-268
Project Title
Machine learning-based deconvolution of antimalarial drug mechanisms of action
through cell painting of compound-treated Plasmodium falciparum-infected
erythrocytes
Collaboration
Partners
1. Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) (Switzerland)
2. LPIXEL Inc. (Japan)
3. University of Dundee (UK)
Disease
Malaria
Intervention
Drug
Stage
Target Research
Awarded Amount
JPY 99,628,772 (USD 0.6 million)
Status
New project
Summary
[Project objective]
The project ultimately aims to deliver a new high-throughput and information-rich
platform for informing and classifying antimalarial modes of action (MoA) and
highlighting novel compound-induced phenotypes. This proposal seeks to leverage
advances in cellular imaging and machine learning-led pattern recognition. The final
goal is to develop a robust, reproducible method to deliver information on a
compound's biological impact (whether its MoA or pathway is novel or known) in
synchrony with the confirmation of growth inhibition and thus allow clustering on
both chemistry and biology, potentially saving months in the context of Hit
Generation.
[Project design]
The project relies on high-content imaging and subsequent analysis of drug-treated
Plasmodium falciparum parasites. The initial assay development phase will optimise
methodologies for staining, fixation, and imaging of parasite-infected red blood cells,
including both healthy untreated parasites and those treated with a pilot set of
compounds with defined MoA. This will allow preliminary development of artificial
intelligence (AI) models to classify parasite morphology across the 48 hour lifecycle,
as well as the phenotypic impact of drug-treatment. Once treatment and imaging
parameters have been optimised, data collection will be performed with an expanded
set of compounds covering a diverse range of MoA, in order to refine and validate the
development of AI models for pattern recognition. AI models will ultimately be
packaged into a cloud-based, user-friendly application so that images generated by
researchers can be analysed without specialist AI knowledge.
Project Detail
https://www.ghitfund.org/investment/portfoliodetail/detail/245/en
*All amounts are listed at an exchange rate of USD1 = JPY144.81, the approximate exchange rate on June 30, 2025.
Appendix 2. Investment Overview (as of July 17, 2025)
Investments to date
Total investments: 39.3 billion yen (USD 271 million1)
Total invested projects: 139 (37 active projects and 102 completed projects)
To learn more about the GHIT Fund's investments, please visit
Investment Overview: https://www.ghitfund.org/investment/overview/en
Portfolio: https://www.ghitfund.org/investment/portfolio/en
Advancing Portfolio: https://www.ghitfund.org/investment/advancingportfolio/en
Clinical Candidates: https://www.ghitfund.org/investment/clinicalcandidates/en
For more information, contact:
Nancy Moss at +1-908-606-8940 or nmoss@burness.com
Mina Ohata at +81-36441-2032 or mina.ohata@ghitfund.org
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