The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund, a Japan-based international public-private partnership (PPP), has announced a total investment of approximately USD 11.6 million to support four new research and development (R&D) projects targeting tuberculosis (TB), neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and malaria.

Of the total amount, USD 2.6 million will fund the advancement of a novel rapid diagnostic for tuberculosis, USD 4.5 million will support a Phase I clinical study of a leishmaniasis vaccine, and USD 4.4 million will be allocated to two additional R&D projects focused on NTDs and malaria diagnostics.

The TB diagnostic project is being led by the Stop TB Partnership, hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), in collaboration with FUJIFILM Corporation, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and research institutions in Cameroon, Nigeria and Germany. Building on an earlier GHIT-supported project that received USD 4 million between 2016 and 2023, this initiative aims to develop a highly sensitive urine-based rapid test designed for practical implementation.

The project will evaluate the performance and feasibility of FUJIFILM SILVAMP TB LAM II, a rapid test to detect urinary LAM antigens, along with a urine concentration device (UCD). By enabling earlier and more accessible diagnosis, particularly in underserved settings, this project aims to reduce diagnostic delays and disparities, help limit the spread of TB, and ultimately support global efforts to end the disease.

Meanwhile, the leishmaniasis vaccine project will be jointly conducted by Ohio State University and Nagasaki University, evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of an investigational vaccine in healthy adults in Brazil and Kenya. On July 25, 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Investigational New Drug (IND) application, paving the way for human clinical trials.

The GHIT Fund will also invest USD 4.4 million in two additional projects: Development of a new rapid diagnostic test for strongyloidiasis, led by Drugs & Diagnostics for Tropical Diseases (DDTD), Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd. (MBL), IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Fundacion Mundo Sano and Big Eye Diagnostics, Inc. (BEDx); and a target research project for malaria diagnostics by Ehime University, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN) Nagasaki University and Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

Together, these four projects unite partners from 11 countries.

Established through a partnership between the Government of Japan, leading pharmaceutical companies, the Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the GHIT Fund drives innovation in drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for diseases that disproportionately affect the world’s most vulnerable populations.

As of September 30, 2025, the GHIT Fund has invested in 42 projects, including 17 discovery projects, 14 preclinical projects and 11 clinical trials, with total investments reaching USD 275 million since its inception in 2013.