Kanazawa University has launched a crowdfunding project on "academist" with the goal of developing a malaria vaccine for infants, aiming to eliminate child deaths caused by the disease. The university has set an initial fundraising target of 1.5 million yen.
Project Background
Malaria infects over 200 million people worldwide each year and continues to claim more than 600,000 lives annually. The majority of those who die are children under the age of five. Currently, there is no highly effective vaccine, and drug-resistant strains of malaria are spreading. With climate change expanding the range of infection, there is even a possibility that malaria could become prevalent in Japan in the near future.
Project Overview
To overcome this situation, Assistant Professor Yutaro Yamamoto from Kanazawa University’s Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy is developing a multi-stage malaria vaccine that not only protects individuals from infection but also prevents transmission to mosquitoes. As part of this project, field trials will be conducted in Manaus, Brazil, using local malaria parasite strains and mosquito species to verify the vaccine’s transmission-blocking effectiveness. These local data will be a crucial step toward real-world implementation.
Driven by the hope of eliminating child deaths caused by malaria, we have launched this crowdfunding initiative to support the development of the vaccine. We sincerely appreciate your support and encouragement.
Crowdfunding Overview
Title: Eradicating Malaria Deaths: Japan’s Vaccine Challenge
Campaign period: from September 2, 2025 (Tuesday) 8:00 AM to October 30, 2025 (Thursday) 5:00 PM
Target Amount: ?1.5 million
?Project page availablehere
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Japan’s Vaccine Challenge! -
What is malaria? -
Malaria Vaccine Mechanisms -
Research Plan in Brazil
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