The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund, a Japan-based international Public-Private Partnership (PPP) fund, has announced an investment of approximately JPY 1.06 billion (USD 6.8 million) in nine Research and Development (R&D) projects focused on developing drugs, vaccines and diagnostic technologies for malaria, Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including Ebola disease.

Of the total investment, approximately JPY 450 million (USD 2.9 million) will support the clinical validation, regulatory approval and programmatic launch of a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) for trachoma. Trachoma is a neglected tropical disease caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. It remains a significant public health concern, causing blindness or visual impairment in approximately 1.9 million people worldwide. Nearly 92 million people live in endemic areas and remain at risk of developing blindness due to the disease.

Current trachoma control programmes primarily rely on the Mass Drug Administration (MDA) of antibiotics. However, the availability of point-of-care rapid diagnostic tests is essential to support timely and accurate field-level decisions regarding when to initiate or discontinue MDA programmes.

The trachoma diagnostic project is being led by Drugs and Diagnostics for Tropical Diseases (DDTD), Medical & Biological Laboratories (MBL), The Carter Center and Big Eye Diagnostics. The GHIT Fund has supported the initiative since 2024, with the objective of developing a diagnostic test that meets the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Target Product Profile (TPP). The latest investment will accelerate clinical evaluations, regulatory approvals and preparations for its programmatic launch.

In addition, the GHIT Fund will invest approximately JPY 210 million (USD 1.3 million) in three projects aimed at developing rapid diagnostic technologies for Ebola disease, particularly infections caused by the Bundibugyo virus. The investment follows the World Health Organization's declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) (Japan time), in response to the outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

According to the announcement, the outbreak in the DRC had resulted in more than 4,500 deaths as of October 21, 2026. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is considered essential for identifying infections and limiting further transmission. The three projects receiving support include the development of a new RT-LAMP/nucleic acid chromatography diagnostic device for rapid screening of the Bundibugyo virus, led by Medical & Biological Laboratories and Nagasaki University in Japan.

The second project, led by Saitama University in Japan, will focus on the development and field investigation of a lateral flow immunoassay for detecting the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus in the DRC. The third project, led by Eiken Chemical, will develop a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP)-based assay for the detection of Bundibugyo virus (BDBV).

The remaining approximately JPY 400 million (USD 2.5 million) will be allocated to five additional R&D projects covering vaccine development, rapid diagnostic testing and drug discovery for infectious diseases.

The investment will also support research by Eisai Co., Ltd. and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) to improve the antimalarial potency of antisense oligonucleotides using bioinformatics and machine-learning algorithms.

The fifth project will focus on developing a rapid whole-blood multiplex antigen test for the serotype-specific detection of dengue and chikungunya. The initiative is being led by VisGene, Ltd., in collaboration with the University of Miyazaki, Mahidol University, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Peru and the Centro de Investigaciones Tecnologicas, Biomedicas y Medioambientales in Peru.