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  
Registration Opens (08:55 streaming begins)

Biology and Immunology
Moderators: Christof Göring 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

  1. Mode of Drug Action, Patricia Bravo
  2. Boosting Impact: Fast-Tracking Capacity Strengthening for Malaria Elimination, Christof Selinger
  3. Empowering Action: Strategic Capacity Building for Malaria Control and Elimination, tba
  4. From Training to Transformation: Strengthening Malaria Capacity Across Borders, tba
  5. Capacity Counts: Unlocking Human Potential in the Fight Against Malaria, tba
  6. Latent Malaria Infections among Pregnant Women in Rural Cote d'Ivoire: Evidence from the Taabo MGC Project, Günther Fink
12:40   Lunch (75 minutes)

Research and Development
Cristina Donini, Medicines for Malaria Venture, Switzerland

13:55   Next Generation Antimalarial Combination Approaches to Address Resistance Challenges, Caroline Boulton, Novartis, Switzerland
14:20   Malaria Drug Discovery Models in Parasite Chemotherapy, 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 Encourage Development of Novel Approaches to Enhance Malaria Vector Control, Justin McBeath, Innovative Vector Control Consortium, UK
17:00   Integrating Durability Data into Development and Procurement of High-Quality Insecticide-Treated Nets, Sarah Moore, Swiss TPH
17:20   Words from the Director, Jürg Utzinger, Swiss TPH
17:30   Reception in Belo Café

08:40  
Registration Opens (08:55 streaming begins)

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   Title tba, Olivo Mioto, 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   Evaluating Control Efforts in Climate Variability: A Case Study on Urban Malaria in India, Mercedes Pascual, New York University, USA
11:15   Novel Vector Control Interventions, Nakul Chitnis, Swiss TPH
11:35   Strengthening Malaria Modelling Capacities in Africa, 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   Title tba, 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

  • Abdisalan Noor, Harvard, USA
  • Michael Charles, Roll Back Malaria Partnership, Switzerland
  • Ally Olotu, Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania
  • Manuel Hetzel, Swiss TPH
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

 

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Selected projects at this location:

Flyer

Freddy Frischknecht

Professor for Integrative Parasitology, University of Heidelberg

Tobias Spielmann

Research Group Leader, Malaria Cell Biology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine

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

Nakul Chitnis

Unit Head, Disease Modelling, Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss TPH

Monica Golumbeanu

Senior Scientific Collaborator, Health Interventions, Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss TPH

Caroline Junqueira

Senior Researcher, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Bellinzona

Justin McBeath

Chief Executive Officer Innovative Vector Control Consortium

Ally Olotu

Senior Research Scientist, Ifakara Health Institute

Emilie Pothin

Group Leader, Analytics and Intervention Modelling, Swiss TPH

Fitsum Tadesse

Researcher, Armauer Hansen Research Institute / London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Nicola Viebig

Director of Research, European Vaccine Initiative

Quique Bassat

Director General, Barcelona Institute for Global Health

Nicolas Brancucci

Unit Head, Malaria Host Interactions, Swiss TPH

Michael A. Charles

Chief Executive Officer, RBM Partnership to End Malaria

Christof Grüring

Technical Expert, Malaria Host Interactions, Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss TPH

Christian Lengeler

Project Leader, Malaria Epidemiology and Control, Swiss TPH

Olivo Mioto

Professor, Mahidol-Oxford Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok

Mercedes Pascual

Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies, New York University, USA

Mathias Schmaler

Senior Scientist, Clinical Immunology, Swiss TPH

Kevin Tetteh

Director, Malaria & Fever, FIND the global alliance for diagnostics

Penelope Vounatsou

Head of Unit, Bayesian Modeling and Analysis, Epidemiology and Public Health

Stephanie Blandin

Associate Professor, University of Strasbourg

Sara Cantoreggi

PhD Student, Genotyping, Medicine, Swiss TPH

Cristina Donini

Executive Vice President, Medicines for Malaria Venture, Switzerland

Angela Hellingman

PhD Candidate, Malaria Drug Discovery, Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss TPH

Pascal Mäser

Unit Head, Parasite Chemotherapy, Swiss TPH

Sarah Moore

Group Leader, New Vector Control Interventions, Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss TPH

Abdisalan M. Noor

Visiting Professor at Harvard University and the University of Oxford

Gerd Pluschke

Scientific Group Leader, Medicines Development, Medicine, Swiss TPH

Aita Signorell

Scientific Project Leader, Medicines Implementation Research, Medicine, Swiss TPH