Older man in cap and glasses inspecting lit paper-making trays in dim workshop — UC Davis medical entomologist Greg Lanzaro, director of the University of California Malaria Initiative (UCMI), looks at mosquito larvae in Annobón, Equatorial New Guinea. UCMI just received $30 million to help combat malaria in Equatorial New Guinea from Coefficient Giving. The Coefficient Giving-UCMI partnership began in 2019.

UC Malaria Initiative Receives Major New Funding

'Coefficient Giving' Donates $30 Million to Help Combat Malaria in Equatorial New Guinea

by Kathy Keatley Garvey
November 06, 2026

People gathered around a table, man in cap pointing to soil samples during outdoor demo. — UC Davis medical entomologist Anton Cornel (left) shows a tray of mosquito larvae to the Equatorial Guinea Minister of Health and Social Welfare, H.E. Mitoha Ondo'o Ayekaba. In back, in the blue shirt, is UC Davis medical entomologist Greg Lanzaro, director of the UC Malaria Initiative. "*Paludismo"* is the Spanish and Portuguese word for malaria.

The University of California Malaria Initiative (UCMI), directed by UC Davis medical entomologist Gregory "Greg" Lanzaro, and assisted by co-principal investigator Anthony "Anton" Cornel, has received $30 million in new funding from Coefficient Giving to help combat malaria in the African country of Equatorial New Guinea.

The new funding supports UCMI's growing collaboration with the government of Equatorial Guinea to implement UCMI’s gene drive technology, aligning with the country's goal to eliminate malaria. UCMI is a collaborative initiative comprised of researchers from four UC campuses (Irvine, Davis, San Diego, Berkeley), Johns Hopkins University, and Cornell University.

"This award allows us to continue our mission, offering support to Equatorial Guinea in achieving their malaria elimination goal through responsible science, deep collaboration, and genuine community engagement," said Lanzaro, a professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, and an affiliated faculty member, UC Davis Entomology Graduate Group. "Together, we can help build a future where malaria no longer threatens families and communities across the region."

"Rising resistance to insecticides and drugs means the tools behind decades of progress against malaria are losing ground, and new approaches are urgently needed," said Heather Youngs, program director of scientific research at Coefficient Giving, a philanthropic funder and advisor committed to cost-effective, high-impact giving. "Equatorial Guinea has shown real leadership in exploring innovative tools, and we're proud to support UCMI as it helps the country work toward elimination carefully, transparently, and in deep partnership with its scientists and communities." Coefficient Giving has helped fund UCMI since 2019.

Two mosquito researchers in Annobón, Equatorial Guinea. — Medical entomologist Anton Cornel (right) assists a team member in Annobón, Equatorial Guinea. They are wearing T-shirts that read "Stop Paludismo! (Malaria)."

The UCMI researchers work to eliminate human malaria by modifying mosquito populations to prevent malaria transmission. They partner with local scientists, public health leaders, government officials, and communities.

The new funding, Lanzaro said, supports the next phase of UCMI's work in Equatorial Guinea, which includes ongoing community engagement, scientific testing, and capacity building in collaboration with Equatoguinean scientists, regulators, policymakers, and community representatives.

Malaria, one of the world's most urgent public health challenges, claims more than 600,000 lives a year, primarily children under age five. Rising insecticide and drug resistance continue to undermine progress, despite decades of effort and significant global investment, making the development of new tools critical.

UCMI works with Equatorial Guinea at the invitation of its government, which has identified gene drive technology as a potential tool in its Vision 2030 malaria elimination strategy. The government has granted UCMI officials approval to work in partnership with the Ministry of Health and MCD Global Health, with the Ministry providing oversight and final authorization of all activities.

UCMI is contributing to malaria eradication by using a genetic technology to modify target Anopheles mosquito populations to prevent malaria transmission, Lanzaro shared. This is called “population modification” (also known as population replacement). It eliminates the ability of the mosquito to transmit malaria; it does not eliminate the mosquitoes.

All work follows international best practices and World Health Organization (WHO) guidance. UCMI is committed to supporting Equatorial Guinea to meet international standards, including WHO certification for malaria elimination, Lanzaro said.

Cornel, a member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology Department, and based at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Parlier, has worked on mosquito research with Lanzaro for more than three decades. A highly acclaimed documentary, Anopheles, spotlights their mosquito research in Africa. The UCMI full-length documentary tells the story of the partnerships, science and community engagements that drive efforts to eliminate malaria on an island off the coast of Central Africa. Anopheles deals with the scientists' work in São Tomé and Príncipe.

About the University of California Malaria Initiative (UCMI)

The University of California Malaria Initiative (UCMI) is a not-for-profit research collaboration that supports the responsible development and deployment of genetically modified mosquitoes and has decades of global leadership and technical expertise in malaria elimination efforts. Learn more at stopmalaria.org.

Rural mountain stream with rocky bed, huts on banks and lush tropical vegetation. — A view of Annobón, Equatorial Guinea.

About Coefficient Giving

Coefficient Giving is a philanthropic funder and advisor that works with donors who share its commitment to cost-effective, high-impact giving. Since 2014, it has directed more than $7 billion in grants across more than a dozen cause areas and has conducted in-depth research to identify the areas where philanthropic capital can have the greatest impact. Its founding and most significant partnership is with Good Ventures. Coefficient Giving also partners with other philanthropists to support their giving, providing research on cause areas and specific giving opportunities, strategic guidance on how to maximize impact, and operational support. For more information, visit coefficientgiving.org.

About Equatorial Guinea

"Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa and the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa. It has an area of 28,000 square kilometers (11,000 square miles. Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its location both near the Equator and in the African region of Guinea. As of 2025, the country has a population of 1,853,559, over 85% of whom are members of the Fang people, the country's dominant ethnic group....Annobón is the smallest province of Equatorial Guinea in both area and population. According to the 2015 census, Annobón had 5,323 inhabitants."--Wikipedia.