Manuel Elkin Patarroyo, Developer of First Synthetic Malaria Vaccine, Dies at 78 in Bogotá

Jan 9, 2025, 07:22 PM

Manuel Elkin Patarroyo, a renowned Colombian scientist known for his work on vaccines, passed away on January 9, 2025, at the age of 78 in Bogotá due to cardiorespiratory arrest. His death was confirmed by the National University of Colombia, where he served as a professor since 1972. Born in Ataco, Tolima, Patarroyo was celebrated for developing the first synthetic vaccine against malaria, known as SPf66, which he discovered in 1987. He donated this vaccine to the World Health Organization (OMS) for free distribution. Throughout his career, Patarroyo received numerous accolades, including the Prince of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research in 1994 and the Robert Koch Prize in the same year. As the director of the Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (Fidic), his contributions extended beyond the vaccine to mentoring a generation of researchers dedicated to advancing science in Colombia.