- Website
- https://mesamalaria.org/
MESA is dedicated to gathering and sharing knowledge to inform decisions responding to the needs of malaria-endemic countries. MESA was born out of a systematic review of malaria science priorities and challenges by a broad range of stakeholders and leading researchers, who collaboratively produced the first Malaria Eradication Research Agenda (malERA) in 2011.
MESA's objectives and activities are aligned with Roll Back Malaria's Global Malaria Action Plan strategy to research new tools and approaches to support global control and elimination efforts. With the community, MESA monitors progress and takes the next steps to advance the science of malaria eradication. MESA reviews existing evidence and supports projects on research questions critical to malaria eradication.
MESA fulfils four key functions:
1. Ideas incubator
Meaning ‘table', MESA provides the space for the multidisciplinary community to:
- Examine the state of the art in malaria research.
- Showcase new evidence and emerging data at a scientific meeting and expand access to these findings via the MESA Correspondents programme.
- Debate new challenges and generate new ideas.
- Conceptualise research activities including projects, studentships and evidence reviews.
2. Knowledge management
Vital questions for advancing malaria research include "what do we know?" and "what don't we know?" MESA provides knowledge management processes to tackle these questions, through:
- Systematic review of existing information on the effectiveness of interventions and approaches for malaria elimination.
- Quality assessment of the evidence.
- Partnering with the WHO GMP to access information.
- Disseminating the findings and building the evidence base.
3. Catalysing research
MESA endorses and supports research testing novel ideas as well as research using existing tools differently, through:
- Support to projects through competitive grants.
- Endorsement of projects for other funding streams.
- Support to studentships through competitive awards.
4. Monitoring progress
MESA tracks progress and feeds back to the community, through:
- Tracking investment levels and trends in R&D.
- Updating the malaria R&D agenda.
- Reporting on progress.
MESA functions are cyclical; examining evidence, identifying gaps and new priorities leading to new projects and the continual development of the malaria research agenda.
The MESA Steering Committee, chaired by Pedro Alonso, governs MESA and the MESA Strategic Advisory Council provides overall guidance. The MESA Secretariat is hosted by ISGlobal (Barcelona Institute of Global Health), Nana Aba Williams is the MESA Project Manager. For further information please contact the MESA Secretariat at mesa@isglobal.org
MESA Research Portfolio
In 2012, MESA set up a process to identify and select research projects which advance the science of malaria eradication. Following a call for proposals in two thematic areas: 'Measurement of transmission' and 'Health systems' readiness', project proposals were appraised by independent peer review panels. Three projects in each theme were selected for financial support by MESA and one proposal was endorsed for support through other funding streams. Research activities in the six projects span Africa, Asia, Latin America and Australasia and are relevant to both P. falciparum and P. vivax malaria. See the process schematic and project summaries here .
- New tools for vector control and diagnosis
- Use of mapping technologies for surveillance and tailored response
- Mobile applications for populations living in areas with poor access
Malaria Policy Advisory Committee to the WHO
- recommendations for achieving universal coverage of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets
- guidance on estimating the longevity of insecticide-treated nets
- improving capacity in entomology and vector control
- a review of the latest evidence on intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy
- updates on the development of the global technical strategy for malaria control and elimination (2016–2025) and the global strategy for control and elimination of Plasmodium vivax
- and much more.
Other information
Minutes of MESA's kick off meeting (Sitges, Spain, 28-29 May 2012)
Follow MESA on twitter: @MESAmalaria
Other projects
See Past ProjectsNHEPACHA
New Tools for the Diagnosis and Evaluation of Chagas Disease
RTS,S Vaccine Immunology Study
Study of immune correlates of protection against malaria after vaccination with RTS,S/AS01E: a comprehensive immunological arm of a Phase III double-blind, randomized, controlled multi-center trial
Euroleish.net
Control of Leishmaniasis. From bench to bedside and community
GREPIMER
Grup de recerca en patología importada i malaties emergents i re-emergents
TESEO
New chemotherapy regimens and biomarkers for Chagas Disease
ASINTMAL
Unravelling Disease Tolerance and Host Resistance in Afebrile 'P. falciparum' Infections: a Prospective Study in Mozambican Adults
ADAM
Malaria mass and focal drug administration to advance malaria elimination in Mozambique: accelerating programmatic implementation and policy translation
MULTIPLY
MULTIple doses of IPTi Proposal: a Lifesaving high Yield intervention
Science4Pandemics
Citizens engagement digital platform for collective intelligence in pandemics
HIDDENVIVAX
Novel organ-on-a-chip technology to study extracellular vesicles-mediated cryptic infections in Plasmodium vivax malaria
Subclinical Infections in Children and Long Term Health Effects
Infection acquisition in early life and health outcomes in childhood - MARATO TV3
Herramienta innovadora de detección de enfermedades y vacunación a población inmigrante en riesgo en España
Project Code: PI21/00651
Impacto de las coinfecciones en el balance de respuestas de anticuerpos y linfocitos T helper a antígenos diana de inmunidad natural y vacunal frente a patógenos humanos prominentes
Project Code: PI20/00866
EpiGen
Building Scalable Pathogen Genomic Epidemiology in Ethiopia
MalTransc
Transcriptional regulation of adaptation and developmental decisions in malaria parasites: from epigenetic variation to directed transcriptional responses
BOHEMIA
Broad One Health Endectocide-based Malaria Intervention in Africa
RESPONSE
Mechanisms of the transcriptional responses to changes in the environment in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum
VivaxEVTalk
Extracellular Vesicles as Intercellular Communicators and Biomarkers of Cryptic Erythrocytic Infections in Plasmodium vivax malaria
VaMonoS
Unravelling the heterogoneity and function of monocytes in vaccination and immunity to malaria
CLIMSOCTRYPBOL
Insight on climate and social participatory research for integral management of vectorborne zoonosis caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp. in the Bolivian Gran Chaco.
SexMal
Social affairs and sex in P. falciparum: implications for malaria elimination
MENA Migrant Health
Transforming data collection and surveillance to drive migrant health research, care and policy
GenMoz
P. falciparum genomic intelligence in Mozambique
SMART
Identifying Severe Malaria with a new Aptamer-based Rapid diagnostic Test