Box 2 Millennials, generation Z and beyond!

The future will soon rely on Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) and Generation Z (born from 1997 onward) [502]. Is it possible today to speed up research so that the next several decades, led by these new generations of scientists, yield exponential growth in understanding the full, multi-faceted extent of malaria? Can we envision an equivalent of ‘going to the moon’ within this time frame? If so, what will that take? Modern methods of systems immunology and vaccinology hold great promise, if they are supported by computational modelling capabilities that allow efficient analysis, integration, and interpretation of large diverse datasets, and offer the hope of revealing insights not possible otherwise. For sure, the field needs patience, time, and resolve, to realize its potential. Funding bodies, as well as passionate wealthy individuals and philanthropically inclined companies, need to recognize and embrace the prospect of a long haul, combined with an innovative, risk-taking mindset of ‘tackling this challenge,’ ‘doing things differently,’ and ‘not being deterred.’ Such research—including studies involving NHPs—has so far advanced in fits and starts. Funding comes, and funding goes. Capable dedicated research teams form, specialized training occurs, projects gain momentum, and then agendas veer off. This constant ebb and flow of research funding makes it difficult to maintain strong active research teams. If the moon-shot goal of malaria research is disease eradication, the future of today’s post-genomics era will require an expansion of research capabilities and talents, with individuals and teams able to analyse and decipher meaning from the vast amounts of genomic, epigenomic, and other data types that can be generated, for instance, in the course of longitudinal infections. To advance malaria research with the use of NHPs, NHP and malariology expertise must be sustained and nurtured, and this expertise must be augmented with a deepened knowledge of the concepts and approaches of immunology, vaccinology, computational biology, and systems biology. The training and cultivation of junior scientists as capable leaders in this research area is essential—now. This sentiment was expressed over 12 years ago by the CDC’s preeminent malaria parasite NHP infection expert and entomologist William Collins [503], a co-author of “The Primate Malarias”. The same is now expressed by this author, as she nears retirement!