Malaria in Focus: From Research to Global Action
Swiss TPH Symposium, 12-13 June 2025
Malaria remains one of the most pressing global health challenges, requiring partnerships and a multidisciplinary approach to drive effective and sustainable progress.
Join leading experts from academia, international organizations, and the public and private sectors to share insights and discuss innovative solutions to reinvigorate our fight against malaria. Together, we will explore how to bridge gaps in research, policy, and implementation, integrate scientific innovations into equitable and effective strategies, and ensure lasting progress in increasingly uncertain times.
The symposium will focus on these topics:
- Parasite-host interaction and immunology
- Development of drugs, vaccines, diagnostics and vector control
- Malaria epidemiology and implementation research
- Global partnerships, policies and capacity strengthening
| 08:30 |
|
Biology and Immunology
Moderators: Christof Grüring and Angela Hellingman, Swiss TPH
| 09:00 | Welcome and Setting the Stage, Manuel Hetzel, Swiss TPH | |
| 09:10 | Mosquito Transmitted Blood Stage Attenuated Malaria Parasites as Experimental Vaccines, Freddy Frischknecht, University of Heidelberg, Germany | |
| 09:35 | SLI Ways to Study the Major Virulence Factor of Plasmodium falciparum, Tobias Spielmann, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Germany | |
| 10:00 | Function and Potential of the Cysteine-Rich Protective Antigen as Vaccine Component, Gerd Pluschke, Swiss TPH | |
| 10:20 | Coffee Break (20 minutes) | |
| 10:40 | A Universal Malaria Vaccine Based on CD8+ T Lymphocytes, Caroline Junqueira, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Switzerland | |
| 11:05 | A Novel Subset of γδ T Cells in Malaria Pre-Exposed Populations, Mathias Schmaler, Swiss TPH | |
| 11:25 | Targeting Mosquito-Parasite Interactions to Limit Malaria Transmission, Stephanie Blandin, University of Strasbourg, France | |
| 11:50 | New Viability Reporter Lines for Basic Research on Gametocyte Biology and Transmission-Blocking Drug Discovery, Nicolas Brancucci, Swiss TPH | |
| 12:10 | Swiss TPH Speed Talks
| |
| 12:40 | Lunch (75 minutes) |
Research and Development
Moderator: Cristina Donini, Medicines for Malaria Venture, Switzerland
| 13:55 | Next Generation Antimalarial Combination Approaches to Address Resistance Challenges, Caroline Boulton, Novartis, Switzerland | |
| 14:20 | Advancing Malaria Drug Discovery Models, Pascal Mäser, Swiss TPH | |
| 14:40 | The Global Malaria Vaccine R&D Landscape – What’s Next? Nicola Viebig, European Vaccine Initiative, Germany | |
| 15:05 | Evolving Malaria Vaccine Landscape: Opportunities for Multistage Vaccines, Ally Olotu, Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania | |
| 15:30 | Coffee Break (30 minutes) | |
| 15:55 | The First Step in the Clinical Journey: Matching Need with Innovation in Diagnostics, Kevin Tetteh, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Switzerland | |
| 16:20 | Assessment of uRDTs for Reactive Active Case Detection in Rwanda, Sara Cantoreggi, Swiss TPH | |
| 16:40 | Supporting Innovation to Enhance the Impact of Malaria Vector Control, Justin McBeath, Innovative Vector Control Consortium, UK | |
| 17:00 | Making the Most of the Vector Control Toolbox, Sarah Moore, Swiss TPH | |
| 17:20 | Words from the Director, Jürg Utzinger, Swiss TPH | |
| 17:30 | Reception in Belo Café |
| 08:40 |
|
Epidemiology and Modelling
Moderator: Emilie Pothin, Swiss TPH
| 09:00 | Welcome and Setting the Stage, Nakul Chitnis, Swiss TPH | |
| 09:10 | Convergence of Malaria Biological Threats in the Horn of Africa, Fitsum Tadesse, Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Ethiopia | |
| 09:35 | Supporting Malaria Elimination with Genomic Surveillance, Olivo Miotto, Mahidol-Oxford Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok | |
| 10:00 | Modelling the Impact of Climate on Malaria Transmission, Penelope Vounatsou, Swiss TPH | |
| 10:20 | Coffee Break (30 minutes) | |
| 10:50 | Climate Variability Facilitates Intervention against Urban Malaria, Mercedes Pascual, New York University, USA | |
| 11:15 | Novel Vector Control Interventions, Nakul Chitnis, Swiss TPH | |
| 11:35 | Strengthening Geospatial Malaria Modelling Capacities through the MAP Dar Node, Punam Amratia, Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania | |
| 12:00 | Anticipating Malaria Needs: A Global Framework for Accurate Forecasting of Intervention Impact, Monica Golumbeanu, Swiss TPH | |
| 12:20 | Lunch (75 minutes) |
Implementation Research and Partnerships
Moderator: Aita Signorell, Swiss TPH
| 13:35 | A Different Way of Looking at Malaria: Innovation in Malaria Research, Quique Bassat, IS Global, Spain | |
| 14:00 | Malaria Research and Partnerships in Papua New Guinea, Maria Ome-Kaius, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (virtual) | |
| 14:25 | Harnessing the Power of Academia to Support Malaria Control Programmes, Christian Lengeler, Swiss TPH | |
| 14:45 | Coffee Break (30 minutes) | |
| 15:15 | Panel Discussion: Global Partnerships for Malaria Control and Elimination
| |
| 16:05 | Closing Words, Jürg Utzinger, Swiss TPH | |
| 16:15 | End of Event |
Information
When and where
| Date | 12 -13 June 2025 |
| Time | Thursday 09:00-17:00 CEST Friday 09:00-17:00 CEST |
| Venue | Swiss TPH Kreuzstrasse 2 4123 Allschwil Switzerland |
Flyer
Michael Adekunle Charles
Chief Executive Officer, RBM Partnership to End Malaria
Freddy Frischknecht
Professor for Integrative Parasitology, University of Heidelberg
Manuel Hetzel
Unit Head, Health Interventions, Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss TPH
Punam Amratia
Senior Scientist, Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania
Caroline Boulton
Global Program Head Malaria, Novartis
Sara Cantoreggi
PhD Student, Genotyping, Medicine, Swiss TPH
Günther Fink
Unit Head, Household Economics and Health Systems Research, Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss TPH
Christof Grüring
Technical Expert, Malaria Host Interactions, Swiss TPH
Maria Ome-Kaius
Head of Vector Borne Diseases Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research
Christian Lengeler
Project Leader, Malaria Epidemiology and Control, Swiss TPH
Olivo Miotto
Professor, Mahidol-Oxford Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok
Ally Olotu
Senior Research Scientist, Ifakara Health Institute
Emilie Pothin
Group Leader, Analytics and Intervention Modelling, Swiss TPH
Tobias Spielmann
Research Group Leader, Malaria Cell Biology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine
Kevin Tetteh
Director, Malaria & Fever, FIND the global alliance for diagnostics
Quique Bassat
Director General, Barcelona Institute for Global Health
Nicolas Brancucci
Unit Head, Malaria Host Interactions, Swiss TPH
Nakul Chitnis
Unit Head, Disease Modelling, Swiss TPH
Monica Golumbeanu
Senior Scientific Collaborator, Health Interventions, Swiss TPH
Angela Hellingman
PhD Candidate, Malaria Drug Discovery, Swiss TPH
Jan Kolaczinski
Senior Technical Manager, Strategy Team, Unitaid
Pascal Mäser
Unit Head, Parasite Chemotherapy, Swiss TPH
Sarah Moore
Group Leader, New Vector Control Interventions, Swiss TPH
Mercedes Pascual
Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies, New York University
Mathias Schmaler
Senior Scientist, Clinical Immunology, Swiss TPH
Aita Signorell
Scientific Project Leader, Medicines Implementation Research, Swiss TPH
Nicola Viebig
Director of Research, European Vaccine Initiative
Stephanie Blandin
Associate Professor, University of Strasbourg
Patricia Bravo
Scientific Collaborator, Genotyping, Medicine, Swiss TPH
Cristina Donini
Executive Vice President, Medicines for Malaria Venture, Switzerland
Beatriz Graça
PhD Student, Gene Regulation, Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss TPH
Caroline Junqueira
Senior Researcher, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Bellinzona
Astrid Knoblauch
Technical Expert, Swiss Centre for International Health, Swiss TPH
Justin McBeath
Chief Executive Officer Innovative Vector Control Consortium
Abdisalan M. Noor
Visiting Professor, Harvard University, and Oxford University
Gerd Pluschke
Scientific Group Leader, Medicines Development, Swiss TPH
Christian Selinger
Senior Scientific Collaborator, Analytics and Intervention Modelling, Swiss TPH
Fitsum Tadesse
Researcher, Armauer Hansen Research Institute, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Penelope Vounatsou
Head of Unit, Bayesian Modeling and Analysis, Swiss TPH