Abingdon Health PLC on Monday said it had been allocated €800,000 worth of funds to develop malaria tests.

The York, England-based developer of rapid-flow diagnostic tests is among several institutes to receive grant money from UK Research & Innovation, a government authority funded by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology.

A total of €5 million has been set aside for malaria intervention as part of the government’s Horizon Europe Guarantee scheme. The project is expected to start in February and continue over the course of two years.

Abingdon’s shares rose 5.7% to 8.20 pence each in London following Monday morning’s announcement.

The company is tasked with developing rapid point-of-care tests to detect plasmodium vivax, a malaria-causing bacterium. The test should replicate laboratory-based methods, but must ‘translate from small-to-medium enterprise prototype to African-based industrial design’.

The goal is to meet the World Health Organisation’s preferred traits for in-field testing. Once complete, Abingdon will transfer the test to diaTROPIX, a Senegalese manufacturer based at Institut Pasteur Dakar, who will produce more tests locally.

The York-based firm promised to support diaTROPIX in delivering tests ‘to African communities, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa’.

Chief Executive of Abingdon Chris Yates commented: ‘We are delighted to have won this grant award as part of a world-leading group of institutions. We are excited to add Abingdon Health’s rapid diagnostic test development and manufacturing scale-up expertise to that of our distinguished group of partners.’

Other bodies to receive funding include Institut Pasteur, Armauer Hansen Research Institute and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

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