TL;DR:

Sanaria Inc., developer of the PfSPZ malaria vaccine—a candidate demonstrating ~90% efficacy that could interrupt malaria transmission and be used for targeted geogrpahic malaria elimination—is at risk of shutting down due to NIH funding freezes. Immediate philanthropic support has the potential to significantly reduce annual malaria deaths by preserving critical vaccine R&D.

Disclosure: I am the son of Sanaria’s CEO, Dr. Stephen Hoffman, but have no financial or research affiliations with the company. My current research work is global health- and pandemic prevention/FarUVC-related, but not related to malaria control/vaccine R&D. Just a son proud of his father’s (and mother’s!) tireless commitment to our people and planet.

What's Happened:

In 2025, abrupt federal funding disruptions—driven by escalating anti-science policies and politicized grant cancellations—jeopardized Sanaria’s operations. Since April 2025, Sanaria has been unable to access previously awarded NIH grant funds due to politically driven funding freezes under the current U.S. administration. You can search for Sanaria  in the NYTimes’ interactive article on paused/halted grants (link). At the time that article was published, the amount paused was approximately ~$2 million. 

Consequently, the company has been forced out of its $20M GMP manufacturing facility. CEO Dr. Stephen Hoffman is personally funding staff salaries to retain crucial expertise and operations, but this situation is not sustainable. 

As of 9am EST on June 12, 2025, the company received notification that an additional 5 active NIH grants (total value ~$20 million in funding) have been indefinitely paused.

Without immediate bridge funding, Sanaria risks shutting down, jeopardizing decades of malaria vaccine research.

Background:

Malaria remains among humanity's deadliest infectious diseases, causing over 600,000 deaths annually, predominantly young children in Sub-Saharan Africa. Existing vaccines (RTS,S and R21) modestly reduce symptomatic malaria but fail to prevent infection or transmission, making malaria elimination efforts impossible using these first generation vaccines.

Sanaria has successfully conducted over 40 clinical trials involving more than 3,500 participants across the U.S., Europe, Africa, and Asia, consistently demonstrating safety, tolerability, and protective efficacy exceeding 90% against malaria infection. The company coordinates its global research through an international network, the International PfSPZ Consortium, involving more than 65 research groups from 27 countries. Sanaria’s LARC2 vaccine, currently advancing through clinical trials, recently passed safety review from initial trial data for larger trials to be conducted in Burkina Faso, with additional studies planned in the U.S. and Germany in 2025 (see press release here).

Sanaria’s research is evidence-driven and rigorous. The company has operated for two decades under the leadership of Dr. Stephen Hoffman, a pioneer in malaria vaccine development, former director of the Malaria Program at the Naval Medical Research Institute, and former senior vice president of biologics at Celera Genomics . Sanaria’s work has been continuously vetted through competitive NIH and DoD funding streams. Sanaria is also exceptional in being privately owned, mission-driven, and insulated from shareholder pressure—ensuring capital is directly translated into scientific progress.

Sanaria is actively soliciting philanthropic and institutional support to sustain R&D on novel uses of its LARC2 platform. Recent NIH grant submissions have received favorable peer-review scores for investigating liver-targeted therapies for hepatitis B, autoimmune liver disease, and liver cancer, although no Notices of Award have yet been issued.

Funding Needs and Use:

Sanaria urgently seeks philanthropic support in the range of hundreds of thousands to low millions (USD). Sanaria’s technology is ready. 

Immediate bridge funding (~$2 million) is required to maintain operations and retain expert staff. With short-term funding secured, Sanaria can advance the LARC2 platform through critical next-phase trials.

Additional funding at this stage could substantially contribute to malaria elimination efforts, addressing significant global health burdens. With limited philanthropic input, this platform could deliver substantial impact for global health and lives saved.

Why This Matters:

Malaria disproportionately impacts global health, economic development, and equity. Malaria prevention remains one of the most highly tractable areas in global health—effective vaccines against other pathogens have consistently demonstrated the ability to significantly alter health trajectories and save large numbers of lives. Sanaria’s vaccine platform offers an effective opportunity to significantly reduce the global malaria burden and save hundreds of thousands of lives per year. Supporting Sanaria now maximizes global health impact and lives saved per philanthropic dollar.

Sanaria’s interdisciplinary team brings together molecular biologists, immunologists, entomologists, manufacturing experts, clinical trialists, and global health partners to solve one of medicine’s hardest problems. Their international footprint includes direct partnerships with ministries of health and research institutions in low-income countries, and a track record of working in locations other organizations overlook. Their model exemplifies collaborative, field-anchored science in service of equitable global health outcomes.

How You Can Help:

• Shoot me a DM, I'll connect you with the CEO.
• Help amplify this appeal by sharing it within EA networks and other potential funding communities.

Your support today can prevent a devastating and unnecessary setback for global health and scientific progress.