Spotted: Malaria is a leading cause of illness and death and puts huge pressure on strained health systems – in some countries with a high malaria burden, it can account for up to 40 per cent of public health expenditure. One of the organisations working to fight malaria is Landcent Group, which has developed a novel programme to identify new insecticides.

Landcent’s Active Ingredient Discovery Platform investigates natural and indigenous knowledge bases to identify active ingredients for development into biopesticides. Using this platform, the company has screened more than 200,000 natural compounds in just ​two years.

Already, the company has developed new bio-insecticides that it has incorporated into the yarn used to make mosquito nets; a chewable format for malaria prophylaxis, which is easier for children to take; and a micro-encapsulation technique for anti-malarial sprays. Landcent is also developing new, non-toxic vector controls, including those made using bacteria.

Since its founding in 2011, Landcent has secured more than €10.21 million in funding, including grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and investments from Shan Xiangshuang, of Hone Capital — one of Silicon Valley’s biggest funds.

In 2021, malaria caused an estimated 247 million clinical episodes, and 619,000 deaths. Innovators have responded with various advances. In the archive, Springwise has spotted the use of a smartphone to diagnose the disease and drones that map mosquito breeding grounds.

Written By: Lisa Magloff