# Identifying adjunctive therapy in the experimental model of malaria to improve cerebral malaria outcomes

> **NIH NIH R21** · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2022 · $210,000

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Malaria remains a great public health challenge that has resisted worldwide control efforts. Some individuals
who are infected with Plasmodium falciparum develop cerebral malaria (CM), which is associated with high
morbidity and mortality despite the use of antimalarial therapy. To date, no effective adjunctive therapy is
available. As brain swelling was recently identified as the main cause of death in CM, we propose to test dimethyl
fumarate (DMF) to modulate neuroinflammation in an experimental cerebral malaria mouse model using
histopathological and neuroimaging techniques to define its mechanisms of protection. The preliminary data
demonstrate that DMF provides a survival advantage in ECM. Importantly, DMF is FDA-approved for other
neuroinflammatory conditions and thus could potentially be repurposed for CM. Our long-term goal is to identify
potential adjunctive therapies that reduce brain swelling and increase survival in a pre-clinical model to provide
a foundation for future clinical trials and ultimately improve the outcomes of CM.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10426234
- **Project number:** 5R21AI162007-02
- **Recipient organization:** ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Johanna Patricia Daily
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $210,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-06-11 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10426234

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10426234, Identifying adjunctive therapy in the experimental model of malaria to improve cerebral malaria outcomes (5R21AI162007-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10426234. Licensed CC0.

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