What we do

Improve the human condition through the targeted application of science based technology and education

Malaria

Zagaya is focused on finding new and less expensive ways to produce artemisinin for use in ACT’s. The Gates Challenge grant allows us to explore the production of artemisinin directly from a fungus. Several of our technology partners are exploring ways to convert artemisinic acid, a precursor, to artemisinin using a variety of chemical and photochemical methods. When multiple companies can produce artemisinin, competition for the market will drive the cost of this ingredient lower, thereby lowering the prices of ACTs. Artemisinin cost is about 26% of the cost of an ACT treatment (~24-32cents per dose). Lowering this cost WILL help make ACTs more affordable.
 
Once the supply chain for artemisinin is filled with qualified manufacturers, working to reduce production costs, Zagaya will work with other technologies that can eliminate cost from the formulation, packaging and distribution of ACTs.
 
Zagaya adds value by aggregating, organizing and managing resources to complete a project. Managing resources and assets held outside the organization allows us to be financially conservative; we don’t own the factory, but we will manage the work to meet project goals.
 

Education

While technology provides the solutions to combat poverty and disease, education of the world’s young people will provide the human capital to develop technology. With our current focus on malaria, Zagaya is committed to ensuring malaria researchers have a forum and showcase for the work that they are doing. Our initial sponsorship of World Malaria Day (link to program and presentations) allowed us to do just that. The wide range of malaria activities covered in the Symposium made us realize there is a need for this educational and networking opportunity in the Bay Area. We plan to provide this forum annually and expand the venue to include additional University of California campuses and other work efforts in our program, such as vector genetics.
 
Once Zagaya has stable and continuous financial resources, we plan to move our education focus to local schools in the communities where we work. Better educated people are the future of technology; children grow up to be the scientists and engineers that apply technology to problems of their day. We want to support schoolchildren in science and mathematics study so they can move successfully into colleges and technical programs that will allow them to work on problems like the elimination of malaria from our globe.