May 3, 2024
The Australian Centre of Research Excellence in Malaria Elimination (ACREME) launched its second phase of the program last Wednesday 24 April 2024, ahead of World Malaria Day, known as Modern Acceleration Strategies for Eradication of Malaria in the Asia Pacific. Lead Investigator, Professor Freya Fowkes announced the initiative in an online event hosting over 100 individuals both internationally and across Australia.
ACREME MASTER-MAP boasts 10 investigators across the University of Melbourne, Burnet Institute, Menzies School of Health Research, Telethon Kids, Deakin University, QIMR Berghofer and the Walter Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. With significant threats to malaria elimination emerging over the last five years, the Centre of Excellence, funded by the NHRMC will focus on three themes: track, prevent and treat.
The three integrated themes; track, prevent and treat are areas that have been prioritised by the Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA) and the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (APMEN) to provide the evidence that national and international authorities.
Lead Investigator Professor Freya Fowkes said at the launch “more than 2 billion people are at risk of malaria in the Asia-Pacific. The new CRE will provide direct evidence for new strategies to achieve key priorities for malaria elimination across track, prevent and treat themes. We thrilled to assemble an internationally leading team with world-class skills in diagnostic innovations, preventive interventions, antimalarials, high-level biostatistics and modelling, advanced geo-spatial mapping technologies, and implementation science. The CRE will also establish two Regional Hubs to ensure capacity building and engagement with malaria-endemic countries in the Asia-Pacific”.
The new Centre of Excellence will be a collaboration between scientists and policy leaders of malaria-endemic countries, combining multidisciplinary and translational research agenda encompassing the whole continuum of evidence generation to field implementation and policy impact; strong equitable links with researchers, policymakers, and implementers throughout the Asia-Pacific.
ACREME MASTER-MAP Chief Investigators comprises of Professor Leanne Robinson, Professor Julie Simpson, Professor Ric Price, Professor Peter Gething, Professor Alyssa Barry, Professor James Besson, A/Prof Kamala Ley-Thriemer, A/Prof Bridget Barber and Professor Ivo Mueller.
Watch the recording of the event below.