Gates Foundation grants support unusual research

By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP Associated Press Writer

Summary

What do chewing gum, chocolate and malaria have to do with each other? Not much unless you're a young scientist exploring unusual ways to think about world health.

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Story Published: Oct 20, 2009 at 4:11 PM PST

Story Updated: Oct 20, 2009 at 4:11 PM PST

Gates Foundation grants support unusual research

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates speaks at the "Get Schooled" conference and premiere hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Viacom in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

SEATTLE (AP) - What do chewing gum, chocolate and malaria have to do with each other? Not much unless you're a young scientist exploring unusual ways to think about world health.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Tuesday announced new grants of $100,000 each for 76 unconventional approaches to world problems.

One will help a UCLA doctoral candidate explore the idea of using chewing gum to detect malaria biomarkers in saliva. Another will give a researcher at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York the money he needs to test chocolate for combatting the malaria parasite.

Tuesday's announcement is the third round of the Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges Exploration program to support innovative, unconventional global health research.