Principal Anton Muscatelli has opened the first meeting of the European Virtual Institute for Malaria Research (EVIMalaR) since Glasgow took up the role of host in September.

Professor Muscatelli, was joined by Professor Andy Waters of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology (WTCMP) and the Division of Infection and Immunity (I&I) in FBLS and Professor Paul Hagan, Dean of FBLS, in welcoming 41 delegates from 29 different international institutions to the university on Thursday morning. 

Prof Andy Waters

EVIMalaR is a European Commission funded network of excellence which combines 47 of the EU’s leading malaria research groups from 29 institutions and 11 nations, together with four top African Institutions, the ICGEB from India and representation of the Australian Malaria Research Network.

In his welcoming address Professor Muscatelli said: “Malaria remains one of the world’s biggest killers, particularly in sub Sahara Africa where it continues to kill over a million people each year.

“EVIMalaR is an exciting and powerful network of top researchers across Europe and beyond which aims to tackle the challenge of this disease and we at the University of Glasgow are proud to participate in this initiative not just in terms of the research we do, but also in the support we can and will give to EVIMalaR.

“We want to play our full part in building the cohesiveness of the Network, consolidating its strengths for now and for the future.”

Professor Waters added: “I am delighted to welcome to Glasgow my fellow malaria researchers, some have travelled from as far afield as African and India, to initiate the network representing the European virtual malaria research institute. We look forward to the next five years of collaborative research anticipating further hopefully groundbreaking findings and progress towards the translation of our work to disease therapies."

Glasgow was unanimously chosen to host EVIMalaR by scientists from institutes such as the University of Oxford, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Professor Waters will direct Glasgow's tenure for the next five years.

Professor Waters said Glasgow’s task was to build upon EVIMalaR’s successful history of collaborative research. Professor Waters and others in the department will work to advance a network which will improve the quality and diversity of research into Malaria – both in quantity and scope.

He added: “Furthermore we have been tasked with making the network an independently financed and autonomous legal entity which is one step towards the creation in bricks and mortar of an international Institute for European Malaria Research. We will be heavily involved in engaging both the local and international communities to begin the realisation of this ambition.”

For more media information please contact Eleanor Cowie, Media Relations Officer, on Telephone: 0141 330 3683 or Email E.cowie@admin.gla.ac.uk

First published: 12 November 2009

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