Last Updated: 03/06/2026
Innovative Transformative CURE for MALaria: Rapid-Action Combinations to Replace Artemisinins (CUREMAL)
Objectives
CUREMAL project aims to address the urgent need for new malaria treatments due to the increasing resistance to current therapies. The project focuses on developing GSK701, a novel antimalarial compound with a unique mechanism of action, showing no cross-resistance with existing drugs and potential for a single-dose cure.
Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Spain
Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain
Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), Switzerland
University Hospital Tübingen (UKT), Germany
Medical Research Center Lambarene (CERMEL), Gabon
Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration (IDRC), Uganda
Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), Tanzania
Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM), Mozambique
Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Malaria remains a significant global health challenge, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where it causes the majority of malaria-related deaths. The CUREMAL project is advancing a highly promising new antimalarial, GSK3772701, developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Like artemisinin derivatives, GSK3772701 is a potent, fast-acting P. falciparum whole-cell inhibitor with a novel mode of action and is active against both sensitive and multidrug-resistant parasites. Encouraging safety findings have been observed in phase I studies, and no parasites exhibiting reduced sensitivity to the compound have yet been detected.
The CUREMAL project is organising two sequential phase II trials in sub-Saharan Africa. The first will be a safety and pharmacokinetic study of GSK3772701 in Gabon and Uganda, using different doses and treatment durations in adults with uncomplicated malaria.
A follow-on trial will then assess the efficacy of the most promising treatment schedules when GSK3772701 is combined with pyronaridine. This study will involve children, adolescents and adults with malaria in Gabon, Tanzania and Uganda. This trial will begin in adults and then recruit younger age groups once safety and efficacy have been confirmed.
In addition, the project will genetically analyse malaria parasites from infections that are not cleared, screening for known resistance genes and sequencing parasite genomes to detect new variants associated with reduced drug susceptibility. Susceptibility testing studies will also be carried out to provide insights into the mechanisms of action of any resistance genes detected.
Jun 2026 — Nov 2030
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