A scientific breakthrough in malaria is only the beginning ‎

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania  

‎Scientific breakthroughs make headlines, but behind the scenes are years of research, learning and conversations needed to turn promising science into something people understand.

‎For malaria, despite decades of progress, the disease remains a major global health challenge. The WHO estimated 282 million malaria cases and 610,000 deaths globally in 2024, with the African Region accounting for 95% of disease burden, of which 4 out 5 deaths are children under five years of age. The figures show why scientists are looking for new ways to complement the malaria interventions already saving lives.

‎In Tanzania, researchers from Transmission Zero are investigating gene drive, a malaria-free technology that focuses on modifying malaria mosquitoes so that the malaria parasite cannot effectively develop inside them, reducing their ability to transmit the disease.

‎In 2025, research published in Nature marked an important milestone. Transmission Zero scientists from the Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) and National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), working with international research partners, developed genetically modified Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes in Tanzania that inhibited genetically diverse malaria parasites from circulating. 

‎‎The work was conducted entirely under laboratory containment. ‎According to Dr. Dickson Wilson Lwetoijera, Programme Director of the Transmission Zero programme at Ifakara Health Institute, the scientific breakthrough is only part of the story.

‎“A breakthrough in the laboratory doesn't automatically create understanding outside it. As scientists, our responsibility is not only to advance the research, but also to build trust with communities by explaining what we are doing, why we are doing it, what we know, and what we are still learning.”

‎This is particularly important for technologies such as gene drive, which can be difficult to understand without first understanding malaria itself.

‎Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites transmitted to people through infected Anopheles mosquitoes. Transmission Zero's research aims to interrupt that cycle.

‎‎Its approach combines malaria-free mosquitoes with gene drive designed to allow the protective trait to be inherited rapidly by future mosquito generations. By using this method, mosquitoes would no longer be able to pass on the parasite.

‎‎With African children under the age of five, along with pregnant women and vulnerable members of society at the highest risk, building trust and understanding around malaria research like this cannot happen through scientific publications alone.

‎‎“Our engagement officers regularly work with communities impacted by malaria, and where our research is conducted, creating opportunities for people to learn about the research, ask questions and raise concerns, shape the engagement strategy and evidence to be generated, and receive information in practical, accessible ways,” says Dr. Lwetoijera

‎This also extends to malaria and science education for the youth. ‎In August, IHI and Transmission Zero brought primary school learners and their teachers from four schools in Bagamoyo into the insectary to learn about mosquito biology, malaria transmission and prevention, and ongoing malaria research. Students could see mosquitoes at different life stages and put their own questions directly to researchers.

‎“When we create opportunities for people to engage with researchers and understand the problem we are trying to solve, we create a stronger foundation for meaningful dialogue and about new scientific approaches, and that is trust building.”

‎The latest WHO data show that, despite major gains since 2000, global progress remains off track. Challenges including insecticide and antimalarial drug resistance, and climate-change continue to put pressure on existing interventions.

‎“New technologies are not intended to replace proven malaria interventions,” says Dr. Lwetoijera. “They are being researched as potential additional tools in a much larger effort to stop malaria transmission. This is why scientific progress needs to happen alongside public understanding.”

‎“It is our responsibility to make complex research understandable and create spaces where people feel able to ask questions. That means listening as much as explaining and communicating in ways that make sense in the communities where we work.”

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