EA Forum Podcast (All audio) “Funding needed to preserve critical malaria vaccine research” by Seth Ari Sim-Son Hoffman
TL;DR:
Sanaria Inc., developer of the PfSPZ malaria vaccine—a candidate demonstrating ~90% efficacy that could interrupt malaria transmission and be used for targeted geogrpahic malaria elimination—is at risk of shutting down due to NIH funding freezes. Immediate philanthropic support has the potential to significantly reduce annual malaria deaths by preserving critical vaccine R&D.
Disclosure: I am the son of Sanaria's CEO, Dr. Stephen Hoffman, but have no financial or research affiliations with the company. My current research work is global health- and pandemic prevention/FarUVC-related, but not related to malaria control/vaccine R&D. Just a son proud of his father's (and mother's!) tireless commitment to our people and planet.
What's Happened:
In 2025, abrupt federal funding disruptions—driven by escalating anti-science policies and politicized grant cancellations—jeopardized Sanaria's operations. Since April 2025, Sanaria has been unable to access previously awarded NIH grant funds due to politically driven funding freezes under the current U.S. [...]
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Outline:
(00:12) TL;DR:
(01:04) Whats Happened:
(01:57) As of 9am EST on June 12, 2025, the company received notification that an additional 5 active NIH grants (total value ~$20 million in funding) have been indefinitely paused.
(02:21) Background:
(04:32) Funding Needs and Use:
(05:15) Why This Matters:
(06:25) How You Can Help:
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First published:
June 12th, 2025
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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.