The Malaria Challenge: a participant’s experience through a malaria ‘challenge’ study

Wednesday 17th Dec 2025, 9.45am

Malaria impacts millions of people worldwide, with approximately 240 million cases and over 600,000 deaths each year. So what is being done to help combat this disease, which primarily affects young children? Here, we meet Rebecca, a volunteer participant in a malaria ‘challenge’ study run by the Draper Lab at the University of Oxford. A malaria ‘challenge’ study is where participants are intentionally infected with malaria in a controlled setting. Through such research, we can gain a clearer understanding of how the human body responds to malaria infection, test new vaccines and treatments and, ultimately, pave the way to a malaria-free world.

Find out more at: https://draperlab.web.ox.ac.uk/home