Joining efforts for a common and effective strategy against Chagas and ntds. DNDi is bringuing Latin America together to push past the early stages of development of therapies against neglected diseases * Date Published - 6 Aug 2026 The Open Chagas Workshop represented a particularly meaningful collaboration for UNU-BIOLAC. United Nations University were thrilled to partner with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and its Open Chagas platform, both of which share a mission closely aligned with UNU-BIOLAC's commitment to advancing sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean through science, innovation, and biotechnology. Since its creation, DNDi has become a global leader in developing life-saving treatments for neglected diseases, championing collaborative and patient-centered research models to ensure traditional research and development pathways do not leave vulnerable populations behind. Held in São Paulo and Campinas, Brazil, the workshop brought together 19 researchers from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay for an intensive program combining lectures, laboratory visits, practical activities, and networking opportunities. Participants explored the complete drug discovery pipeline for Chagas disease, from target identification and screening strategies to medicinal chemistry, pharmacokinetics, translational research, and data analysis, while engaging with experts from DNDi, the University of São Paulo (USP), the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), and the University of Dundee. One of the workshop's most important messages was the need to move drug discovery efforts beyond identifying promising hits. While Latin America generates a wealth of innovative research on Chagas disease, many projects struggle to progress toward lead optimization, preclinical development, and ultimately new treatments that can benefit patients. Through Open Chagas, DNDi is actively addressing this challenge by building regional capacity and scientific networks, connecting experts with the infrastructure needed to advance promising discoveries along the translational pathway. UNU-BIOLAC congratulates all participants for their enthusiasm, commitment, and active engagement throughout the workshop. United Nations University is particularly pleased that this activity is not an endpoint but rather the beginning of an ongoing relationship with DNDi and the Open Chagas community, offering participants opportunities for ongoing mentorship, collaboration, and integration into broader research networks dedicated to combating Chagas disease. United Nations University extend its sincere appreciation to Dr. Luiza Cruz for her outstanding coordination and leadership in organizing this workshop. United Nations University also thank all the lecturers, mentors, collaborators, and the hosting institutions, particularly the University of São Paulo (USP) and the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), whose expertise, facilities, and dedication made this unique capacity-building experience possible. Through partnerships such as this, United Nations University strengthen the region's capacity to translate scientific knowledge into tangible health solutions that advance sustainable development and improve quality of life across Latin America and the Caribbean. * Location - Brazil Dr. Pilar Moreno led an advanced training in reverse genetics for Latin American scientists to engineer RNA viruses for vaccines and cancer therapy. 28 Jul 2026 Degree Defense Christine Njoki Kiruthu-Kamamia 22 Sep 2026, 13:00 - 14:30 Chiara Coronel went to Germany to elucidate Mycobacterium's defensive machinery 11 Jul 2026 Dr. Vijay Kumar Chattu participated in the regional ACUNS Workshop. 06 Jul 2026

DNDi leadership to change in 2027. Geneva - 27 Jul 2026 After four years, Dr Luis Pizarro will be stepping down from his role as DNDi's Executive Director to take on a new position as Executive Director at Unitaid at the end of 2026. Since 2022, Dr Pizarro has guided DNDi through a period of scientific accomplishment and institutional maturation. Most recently, DNDi delivered acoziborole - the first single-dose oral treatment for sleeping sickness - a milestone that puts elimination of the disease within reach for the first time. DNDi's global network now counts more than 230 staff and over 200 partner institutions across five continents, and the organization is a leading voice for needs-driven, collaborative, and equitable medical research and development. 'Luis has been a defining force in DNDi's evolution into a globally recognized institution,' said Dr Marie-Paule Kieny, Chair of DNDi's Board of Directors. 'His commitment to patients, to science, and to a more equitable model of medical innovation has left an indelible mark on the organization's journey. DNDI is deeply grateful for his leadership and wish him every success in his new role.' As DNDI look to the future, DNDi's Board will now actively engage in a search process to identify a new Executive Director who will continue to champion DNDi's mission to bring best science to the most neglected. For any questions, please contact [email protected].

DNDi, GARDP, and MMV join forces to accelerate drug development for patients in greatest need. 8 June 2026 The three non-profit research and development (R&D) organizations have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to explore opportunities to pool resources and maximize their impact amid global aid cuts and calls to reform the global health architecture. GENEVA - 8 June 2026 - Three non-profit R&D organizations - the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), the GARDP Foundation (known as GARDP), and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) - have signed a cooperation agreement to explore how they can further pool their expertise and resources to strengthen the efficiency and coordination of their activities, with the ultimate goal of accelerating the development of life-saving treatments for patients who need them most. The areas to be explored will focus particularly on R&D. The three organizations - known as product development partnerships, or PDPs - will also strengthen joint policy advocacy and communications activities to raise awareness of their alternative, non-profit drug development model. Through this initiative, the three organizations aim to maximize the impact of limited global health R&D resources and show global leadership as calls to reform the global health architecture multiply. Equitable medical innovation, driven by patient needs, must be at the core of the future global health architecture, and economic incentives alone will not suffice to deliver the innovations or the equitable access patients urgently need. By speaking with one unified voice, DNDi, GARDP, and MMV reaffirm their commitment to work together and with partners across all regions to accelerate the delivery of effective, affordable, and life-saving medicines through this agreement. This commitment is critical in the current context of shrinking global health budgets, aid cuts, and threats to multilateralism. The need for medical innovation is greater than ever. In 2024, an estimated 282 million people contracted malaria, and 610,000 died from it. Nearly 5 million deaths a year are now associated with drug-resistant bacterial infections. More than one billion people are affected by neglected diseases each year. Recent health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, are also stark reminders that many much-needed life-saving innovations, including therapeutics, do not exist - and when they do, they too often fail to reach the most vulnerable populations. Product development partnerships have demonstrated their ability to deliver life-saving health tools: since 2010, they have developed and delivered 79 new diagnostics, drugs and vaccines that have reached 2.4 billion people. PDPs have shown they can deliver comparable innovation outcomes more cost-effectively than traditional development models, particularly in areas of market failure. The agreement signed by DNDi, GARDP, and MMV sets a framework to build on existing collaborations. Since 2016, DNDi and GARDP have shared several operational and back-office support functions. The two organizations also established a joint Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) platform to share their know-how in the design, development and scale-up of manufacturing processes of active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug products. This year, DNDi and MMV are planning to launch a joint regulatory science platform to shorten registration timelines, strengthen their regulatory strategies, and accelerate equitable access to medicines through collaboration and shared knowledge. 'The global health environment is changing fast, but patients' unmet needs remain. Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership invite other non-profit research organizations committed to equitable access and leaving no patient behind to join its collective efforts with its partners GARDP and MMV. In a rapidly shifting environment, closer, smarter, more agile collaboration is essential to deliver life-saving health tools for millions in urgent need' said Dr Luis Pizarro, Executive Director of DNDi. 'At a time of growing antimicrobial resistance and shrinking global health resources, collaboration is no longer optional - it is essential,' said Dr Peter Beyer, Deputy Executive Director of GARDP. 'This partnership brings together complementary expertise to accelerate the development of urgently needed treatments and to ensure they reach the patients who need them most. By working more closely with DNDi and MMV, we can strengthen our collective impact and help build a more coordinated and effective global R&D ecosystem.' 'Partnership and collaboration are essential to maximizing global health impact. By working more closely with DNDi and GARDP, we can accelerate patient-centred innovation and ensure that life-saving treatments reach those who need them most,' said Dr Martin Fitchet, CEO of MMV. About DNDi The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a not-for-profit medical research organization that discovers, develops, and delivers safe, effective, and affordable treatments for neglected people. DNDi is developing medicines for sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, parasitic worm diseases, mycetoma, dengue, paediatric HIV, advanced HIV disease, cryptococcal meningitis, and hepatitis C. Its research priorities include children's health, gender equity and gender-responsive R&D, and diseases impacted by climate change. Since its creation in 2003, DNDi has joined with public and private partners across the globe to deliver 14 new treatments, saving millions of lives. dndi.org About GARDP GARDP (the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership) is a not-for-profit global health organization driven to protect people from the rise and spread of drug-resistant infections, one of the biggest threats to Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership all. By forging the public and private partnerships that matter, GARDP develops and makes accessible antibiotic treatments for people who need them. Vital support for its work comes from the governments of Germany, Japan, Monaco, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Canton of Geneva, the European Commission, as well as the Gates Foundation, Global Health EDCTP3, GSK, the RIGHT Foundation, the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and Wellcome. GARDP is registered under the legal name GARDP Foundation in Switzerland. www.gardp.org No one should die from malaria. Yet in 2024, more than a quarter of a billion people fell sick and over 600,000 lives were lost - most of them young children. Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership believe this is unacceptable. Founded in 1999, MMV is a not-for-profit product development partnership (PDP). Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership work "end-to-end" to discover, develop and deliver accessible and affordable medicines to treat, prevent and eliminate malaria. Starting where the need is greatest - with children and pregnant women - Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership collaborate equitably with partners across sectors and geographies, ensuring innovation reflects local realities and reaches those most at risk. It's working. As of 2026, Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership has brought forward 19 medicines that have treated or protected more than 1.48 billion people worldwide. Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership cannot stop now. MMV is part of an ecosystem of partners determined to eliminate malaria. As a PDP, Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership bring the public and private sectors together to promote the equitable development of breakthrough solutions to help end malaria and advance health for all.