Merck signed a research agreement with the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, to co-develop a new R&D platform. It aims at identifying new lead programs for potential treatments against malaria, with the potential to expand it to other tropical diseases. It combines Merck’s R&D expertise and the drug discovery capabilities of the UCT Drug Discovery and Development Centre, H3D.

UCT’s H3D is a center of excellence for research and innovation with an already strong track record in malaria drug  discovery. The vision of H3D is to be the leading organization for integrated drug discovery and development on the African continent. They say that working with partners like Merck is critical to build up a comprehensive pipeline to tackle malaria and related infectious diseases.

• Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
• H3D, Rondebosch, South Africa