Free AI Platform Boosts Drug Discovery for Malaria, TB & Neglected Diseases | dd4gh by MMV & deepmirror

Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and deepmirror have launched a new artificial intelligence platform designed to accelerate drug discovery for diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries. The platform, known as Drug Design for Global Health (dd4gh), became available to eligible researchers on March 18, 2026. The service is free of charge and is intended to support non-commercial global health research focused on malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases.

The initiative is funded in part by the Gates Foundation. According to the launch release and the platform site, the partnership aims to bridge the gap between advanced artificial intelligence tools and the resource constraints often faced by scientists working on global health challenges. By providing access to machine learning and AI-based capabilities, the partners intend to help researchers identify and select promising compounds for potential development into medicines more efficiently.

Platform Capabilities and Data Security

The dd4gh platform combines predictive and generative AI technologies. It uses active learning to improve predictions based on new experimental data. The system is designed to analyze large datasets and propose compounds for laboratory testing. Researchers can utilize pre-trained models built on curated MMV datasets before generating their own data. These AI models have been pretrained on ADMET and potency data contributed by global health researchers, enabling scientists to benefit from shared insights across datasets in a safe way.

Data privacy is a central component of the platform’s terms. The dd4gh site states that uploaded data remains private and is not shared with other researchers. Approved users can also schedule an optional virtual onboarding session with the deepmirror team to assist with platform integration. Licenses are granted to individual researchers rather than institutions, ensuring direct access for scientists involved in compound design.

Co-Creation with the Research Community

The development of dd4gh emphasized co-creation with end users. In September 2025, MMV and deepmirror convened a workshop in Geneva that brought together more than 40 scientists to help adapt the platform ahead of its launch. Participants included Gates Foundation grantees and other product development partnerships. AI experts trained participants on how the platform could analyze complex datasets to accelerate the identification of promising compounds for further synthesis and testing.

Following the Geneva session, a second workshop was held in December 2025 in Accra. This session included over 20 African-based researchers working on diseases of significance to global health security, particularly those relevant to Africa. The focus remained on malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases. Prof. Richard Kwamla Amewu, the Founder and Leader of the Drug Innovation Group based at the University of Ghana’s Department of Chemistry, participated in the initiative.

AI has the potential to be a transformative tool for accelerating scientific innovation in drug discovery and global health security.

Prof. Richard Kwamla Amewu, University of Ghana

Addressing Funding Gaps in Neglected Diseases

The launch of dd4gh occurs against a backdrop of persistent funding challenges in the sector. According to the World Health Organization’s neglected-disease R&D dashboard, based on G-FINDER data, neglected-disease R&D investment totaled about $3.93 billion in 2022. This funding remained heavily concentrated in HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, which together accounted for more than 70% of total funding.

The WHO notes that the G-FINDER framework defines neglected diseases partly by market failure. This means the commercial market is not sufficient to attract enough private R&D for needed products. The newer G-FINDER 2024 report indicates that global funding for neglected-disease basic research and product development reached $4.17 billion in 2023. Despite this increase, the total remained nearly $650 million below its 2018 peak.

Drug discovery for diseases affecting low- and middle-income countries often faces significant resource constraints. At the same time, artificial intelligence is transforming how scientists design and evaluate potential medicines. The dd4gh platform aims to help bridge this gap by making advanced AI tools accessible and free of charge to researchers working on global health challenges worldwide. The live dd4gh site carries a perspective from University of Cape Town PhD candidate Caroline Maina, who noted that while AI tools for drug discovery are known to researchers in resource-limited settings, licensing costs can still put them out of reach.

Eligibility and Access

Access to the platform is restricted to specific eligibility criteria to ensure it serves its intended public health mission. Applicants must be involved in compound design and work on diseases relevant to global health. The platform is strictly for non-commercial research. By applying, users confirm they have read the FAQs, meet the eligibility criteria, and agree to the terms and conditions.

MMV contributes global health datasets and medicinal chemistry expertise in malaria and neglected-disease drug discovery, while deepmirror provides the AI and machine learning platform. Researchers who meet the eligibility rules can apply directly through dd4gh.ai. Once completed, the Drug Design for Global Health platform will be used to accelerate the identification and selection of promising compounds for potential development into medicines, potentially shortening research timelines and reducing costs.