Intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in schoolchildren to boost health and reduce transmission
Official title: Cluster randomized trial of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in school-agechildren to improve the health of students and decrease community transmission(CRITICal)
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11578584 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant tests giving full malaria drugs to school-aged children at regular intervals to improve kids’ health and help cut malaria spread in their communities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | August 7, 2025 |
| Project end | June 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $918,819 |
| NIH project number | 3U01AI186861-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11578584 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children in school in high-malaria areas, particularly those in Africa, who are eligible for school-based health programs.
✕Less likely to help
If malaria transmission is not substantially affected in the community, direct benefits to some children may be limited.
What this research studies
This project will implement a program where children who attend school receive therapeutic courses of antimalarial drugs on a schedule. The approach builds on proven methods and aims to measure not just direct health benefits for students but also any ripple effects in the surrounding community. The study uses a cluster-randomized design to compare areas with school-based IPTsc integration to those without it, tracking health and educational outcomes over time. Researchers at UCSF will collaborate with local partners to monitor safety, feasibility, and potential cost savings. If successful, the program could be scaled through existing school-based health initiatives.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: It could lower malaria among children and communities, and potentially improve school performance and overall health.
How similar studies have gone: Previous IPTsc studies show safety and individual health benefits; community-level effects are being explored in this trial.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dorsey, Matthew G — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Dorsey, Matthew G
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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.