The emergence of drug-resistant parasites has complicated efforts to control and eliminate malaria, which remains a leading cause of preventable illness and death globally.

MK-7602 targets the most prevalent malaria parasites in humans, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, and blocks two essential parasite enzymes, providing a unique dual-action strategy with the potential to reduce the risk of resistance.

The drug candidate is the result of a near-decade research collaboration between WEHI and MSD, led by Professor Alan Cowman AC, Dr David Olsen and their research teams.

Discovery and development efforts received funding support from the Wellcome Trust and MSD.

The compound was originally identified and optimised using the advanced screening technologies of the National Drug Discovery Centre (NDDC), Australia’s premier small molecule screening facility based at WEHI.

Prof Cowman, a WEHI Laboratory Head, said: “The NDDC screen was the breakthrough moment that transformed our approach and accelerated our research effort. As we unravelled the mechanisms, WEHI and MSD were able to design and engineer compounds to be more precise, more powerful and more effective – ultimately resulting in this new drug candidate.

“MK7602 is a powerful example of what becomes possible when we invest in this national capability.”

Established in 2020, the NDDC was launched with foundational support from the Medical Research Future Fund, the Victorian Government, Therapeutic Innovation Australia and philanthropic partners.

The centre provides researchers with industrial scale screening capabilities to accelerate and scale screening capabilities to accelerate earlystage drug discovery.

This national investment in cutting edge infrastructure has enabled research teams across Australia – including the WEHI–MSD collaboration – to turn innovative science into promising therapeutic candidates.