UCMI Stop Malaria

UCMI Stop Malaria We are the University of California of Malaria Initiative and our mission is to contribute to the eradication of human malaria.

The UCMI team in São Tomé and Príncipe recently completed fieldwork as part of their ongoing environmental impact studie...
06/16/2026

The UCMI team in São Tomé and Príncipe recently completed fieldwork as part of their ongoing environmental impact studies. Researchers from UC Davis joined Edley Sousa, former UCMI Scholarship recipient and the current Head of the PNEP Entomology Team, alongside other researchers to help evaluate the potential environmental impacts of a modified mosquito on local habitats, predator-prey relationships, and the broader ecosystem. As part of this work, the team collected adult dragonflies and damselflies, as well as bat f***l samples, for further analysis.

Additionally, the team began conducting a series of experiments at the University of São Tomé and Príncipe to study Anopheles coluzzii drought tolerance.

Meet the UCMI Ambassadors in São Tomé and Príncipe: Débora .lealc, Quilsa , Lévi .ofc and Maurício .meik. Through humor,...
06/15/2026

Meet the UCMI Ambassadors in São Tomé and Príncipe: Débora .lealc, Quilsa , Lévi .ofc and Maurício .meik. Through humor, storytelling and behind-the-scenes content, they’re helping make malaria awareness more engaging, more shareable and more connected to the communities UCMI works alongside. Together, they’re reaching more than 100,000 people on TikTok and helping amplify the fight against malaria. Be sure to follow along and show them some support.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4efPkbD

Celdidy Monteiro brings a deep commitment to public health and malaria elimination in São Tomé and Príncipe.A UCMI schol...
06/11/2026

Celdidy Monteiro brings a deep commitment to public health and malaria elimination in São Tomé and Príncipe.

A UCMI scholarship recipient and native of São Tomé and Príncipe, Celdidy previously worked as a clinical analysis technician and director of the diagnostic and therapeutic area at Ayres de Menezes Central Hospital. She went on to earn her Master’s in Medical Parasitology from NOVA University Lisbon, receiving an outstanding classification of 19/20 for her thesis on detecting asymptomatic malaria foci.

Today, Celdidy continues this work by helping lead the review and update of São Tomé and Príncipe’s National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination.

Community engagement is central to UCMI’s work.Across communities, schools and stakeholder groups, UCMI’s engagement tea...
06/09/2026

Community engagement is central to UCMI’s work.

Across communities, schools and stakeholder groups, UCMI’s engagement team supports conversations through community meetings, door-to-door information sharing, scientific demonstrations, educational activities, social media and national TV and radio. These efforts help make malaria information more accessible, create space for questions and ensure communities remain informed and involved in the work happening.

9 million more malaria cases were reported worldwide in 2024 than in 2023.Numbers like this are a reminder that the figh...
06/05/2026

9 million more malaria cases were reported worldwide in 2024 than in 2023.

Numbers like this are a reminder that the fight against malaria is far from over. Behind every statistic are families, communities, and children whose lives are impacted by this disease.

Through research, partnership, and collaboration with communities around the world, we remain committed to reducing transmission and protecting lives.

The work continues.

06/05/2026

Philanthropic funder and advisor Coefficient Giving has provided $2.1 million for the continuation of UC San Diego School of Biological Sciences research focused on developing new ways to stop the mosquito-driven spread of malaria. UC San Diego is one of three UC campuses collaborating in the University of California Malaria Initiative (UCMI: https://stopmalaria.org/). UCMI is a non-profit, global research collaboration dedicated to eliminating malaria by developing and responsibly deploying gene drive-modified mosquitoes in partnership with local governments, scientists and communities.

Last fall, Coefficient Giving provided a $500,000 grant (https://go.ucsd.edu/47LTs01) to Professor Ethan Bier, one of the P*s for the UCMI program, for the development of new gene-editing systems that block mosquitoes from spreading parasites that cause malaria, which causes widespread death, especially in children. The new funding continues Coefficient Giving's support to the UCMI program for new gene-drive and allelic-drive systems that modify mosquito populations such that they no longer can be infected by malarial parasites.

“The additional support is for new research to characterize the performance of the gene-drive system we plan to deploy on islands in the Gulf of Guinea in local mosquito populations where that drive is to be released,” said Bier. “This would be a world first.”

One key goal of the project will be to target a gene that produces a protein known as “FREP1” to block malaria transmission in African Anopheles gambiae and An. coluzzii mosquitoes. UCMI Stop Malaria

Strong relationships are essential to meaningful malaria research.In a recent UCMI publication, our team shared how buil...
06/05/2026

Strong relationships are essential to meaningful malaria research.

In a recent UCMI publication, our team shared how building trust and long-term partnerships with communities plays a critical role in the success of malaria prevention efforts.

This relationship centers on collaboration, transparency, and shared decision-making, ensuring that communities remain at the heart of the work.

📖 Read the full publication: https://www.ajtmh.org/view/journals/tpmd/111/2/article-p341.xml

05/29/2026

On May 8, representatives from across the globe joined UCMI for the 2026 Annual Meeting in Winters, California, to discuss an exciting year ahead. Attendees heard from principal investigators from partner institutions about their latest research endeavors and learned about recent progress with the UCMI program in Equatorial Guinea from Guillermo Garcia, International Director at MCD Global Health.

Attendees were also treated to a special recorded address from His Excellency, the Minister of Health, Social Welfare, and Health Infrastructure of Equatorial Guinea, outlining national priorities for malaria elimination. The meeting also featured presentations from postdoctoral scholars and research staff across participating institutions.

We are grateful to all who participated in and contributed to a productive and engaging meeting, and we thank our funders at Coefficient Giving for their attendance and continued support. We look forward to the next phase of this work. Please check out the video below for highlights from the meeting.

Congratulations to Silvânia Xavier de Pina, who graduated earlier this month with her Master’s degree in Medical Parasit...
05/29/2026

Congratulations to Silvânia Xavier de Pina, who graduated earlier this month with her Master’s degree in Medical Parasitology.

Before beginning her Master’s program, Silvânia supported UCMI as an entomologist at the CNE insectary, contributing to the hands-on work behind malaria research in São Tomé and Príncipe.

Her continued work in mosquito capture and identification reflects the kind of scientific dedication that helps strengthen malaria elimination efforts.

We are proud to celebrate Silvânia and excited for the impact her work will continue to make.

Meet Dr. Anthony Cornel, a Medical Entomologist and Professor at the University of California, Davis.With more than 30 y...
05/21/2026

Meet Dr. Anthony Cornel, a Medical Entomologist and Professor at the University of California, Davis.

With more than 30 years of field experience working in Africa, Dr. Cornel has dedicated his career to studying mosquitoes and the role they play in spreading disease.

His work focuses on understanding mosquito ecology and behavior, helping scientists better understand how mosquito populations change and how malaria spreads in different environments.

At UCMI field sites, Dr. Cornel leads studies that help guide strategies to reduce malaria transmission and protect vulnerable communities.

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