Household malaria treatment to protect pregnant women
Official title: Reducing malaria in pregnancy through focal drug administration in household members: A pilot feasibility trial
Funded at Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11141678 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project gives malaria medicine to people who live with pregnant women to lower the risk of malaria for the mother and her unborn baby.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | July 19, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $41,565 |
| NIH project number | 5R21AI180728-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11141678 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant women living in malaria-endemic communities (likely in sub-Saharan Africa) and their household members who are willing to receive antimalarial medication and follow-up are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People living outside malaria-endemic areas, pregnant women without household contacts, or individuals with allergies or contraindications to the study drugs are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
What this research studies
If you or someone in your household is pregnant and lives in a malaria-prone community, this project offers antimalarial treatment to household members to create a safer space around the pregnant woman. Study staff will visit homes to offer a short course of established antimalarial drugs to consenting household members and will monitor for side effects. Pregnant women will be followed through pregnancy with checks for malaria infection and birth outcomes, and participants will be asked about how acceptable and practical the approach is. This pilot tests whether the household-based drug approach is feasible, safe, and shows early signs of reducing malaria in pregnancy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lower malaria infections in pregnant women and improve health for mothers and newborns.
How similar studies have gone: Mass drug administration has reduced malaria in some settings, but giving antimalarials specifically to household members to protect pregnant women is a newer, less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
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Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Boyce, Ross Mathew — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Boyce, Ross Mathew
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.