TOKYO – October 29, 2026 -- The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund has committed about JPY 1.06 billion (USD 6.8 million) to nine R&D projects covering drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for malaria, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and emerging infectious diseases such as Ebola.
Trachoma rapid test receives JPY 450 million for clinical validation and launch
The largest single award, about JPY 450 million (USD 2.9 million), goes to a point-of-care rapid diagnostic test for trachoma. The project is led by Drugs and Diagnostics for Tropical Diseases, Medical & Biological Laboratories (MBL), The Carter Center and Big Eye Diagnostics, and has received GHIT support since 2024.
Trachoma causes blindness or visual impairment in about 1.9 million people, and nearly 92 million people live in endemic areas. Control programs rely on mass drug administration of antibiotics, so field teams need a test to decide when to start or stop distribution. The funding targets clinical evaluations, regulatory approvals and programmatic launch of a test designed to comply fully with the WHO Target Product Profile.
Three Bundibugyo Ebola diagnostics share JPY 210 million
GHIT will invest about JPY 210 million (USD 1.3 million) in three rapid-diagnosis projects. The WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, 2026 (Japan time) over a Bundibugyo virus Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. More than 4,500 deaths had been reported in the DRC as of October 21, 2026, citing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- MBL and Nagasaki University: an RT-LAMP/nucleic acid chromatography device for rapid Bundibugyo screening.
- Saitama University: a lateral flow immunoassay with field investigation in the DRC.
- Eiken Chemical: a LAMP-based assay for Bundibugyo virus detection.
Five further projects receive JPY 400 million across vaccines, antigen tests and drug discovery
The remaining JPY 400 million (USD 2.5 million) is split across five projects:
- A bivalent mRNA-lipid nanoparticle Lassa fever vaccine, led by the University of Osaka and the University of Texas Medical Branch.
- Rapid antigen tests for Nipah and Hendra viruses, led by PATH and iBody.
- Machine-learning-assisted optimization of antisense oligonucleotides for malaria, led by Eisai and Medicines for Malaria Venture.
- A Chagas disease drug discovery project led by Nagasaki University, Eisai, Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative and the University of Dundee.
- A whole-blood multiplex antigen test for serotype-specific dengue and chikungunya detection, led by VisGene, the University of Miyazaki, Mahidol University and two Peruvian institutions.
Portfolio reaches 53 active projects and JPY 48.1 billion in cumulative funding
As of September 30, 2026, GHIT's portfolio held 53 ongoing projects: 26 discovery, 14 preclinical and 13 clinical, including projects in registration. Cumulative investment since 2013 totals JPY 48.1 billion (USD 305 million) across 158 projects, of which 105 are complete. The awards were selected from proposals to RFP2025-002 and RFP2026-001. USD figures use an exchange rate of JPY 157.31 per dollar as of September 30, 2026.