Novel clinical use of existing drugs approved for a different clinical manifestation is known as drug repurposing, an approach used to accelerate the drug discovery processes against a range of bacterial, viral, parasitic and helminth diseases. Repurposing approved drugs for new clinical indications can offer efficient treatment options for diseases that have few or no therapeutic options available. These diseases and conditions are largely dependent on host pathogen interaction and immune responses, which drives susceptibility or resistance. However, more recently, immunomodulation using host-directed therapies is becoming increasingly important, due to its ability not only to control the pathogen load, but also to limit collateral tissue damage to the host caused by the overwhelming immune response elicited by pathogens.
The goal of this Research Topic is to tackle the advances in the current field of immunology and microbiology of infectious diseases, with particular emphasis on immunomodulation via repurposed drugs. We aim to enlighten the readers on the latest advances of scientific knowledge regarding the role of repurposed drugs in controlling immune responses to pathogen infections. We will increase the knowledge on the role of repurposed drugs in the general context of immune responses, in order to translate their use as adjunctive therapies in human infections. These drugs may then help encountering the antimicrobial resistance and better treat viral and parasitic infections. One recent, important example, is the use of chloroquine in vitro as repurposed drug to treat coronavirus.
In this Research Topic, we welcome Original Research, Reviews and Mini-Reviews from both clinical and basic research areas and General Commentaries focused on the immunomodulatory functions of repurposed drugs during infections. We expect contributions covering, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Drugs with immunomodulatory functions or potential host-directed therapies for infectious diseases.
•Drugs with direct antimicrobial effects on the relevant microorganisms.
• Study of drug immunomodulation in vitro using human/mouse primary cells or cell lines, and in vivo employing various animal models.
Novel clinical use of existing drugs approved for a different clinical manifestation is known as drug repurposing, an approach used to accelerate the drug discovery processes against a range of bacterial, viral, parasitic and helminth diseases. Repurposing approved drugs for new clinical indications can offer efficient treatment options for diseases that have few or no therapeutic options available. These diseases and conditions are largely dependent on host pathogen interaction and immune responses, which drives susceptibility or resistance. However, more recently, immunomodulation using host-directed therapies is becoming increasingly important, due to its ability not only to control the pathogen load, but also to limit collateral tissue damage to the host caused by the overwhelming immune response elicited by pathogens.
The goal of this Research Topic is to tackle the advances in the current field of immunology and microbiology of infectious diseases, with particular emphasis on immunomodulation via repurposed drugs. We aim to enlighten the readers on the latest advances of scientific knowledge regarding the role of repurposed drugs in controlling immune responses to pathogen infections. We will increase the knowledge on the role of repurposed drugs in the general context of immune responses, in order to translate their use as adjunctive therapies in human infections. These drugs may then help encountering the antimicrobial resistance and better treat viral and parasitic infections. One recent, important example, is the use of chloroquine in vitro as repurposed drug to treat coronavirus.
In this Research Topic, we welcome Original Research, Reviews and Mini-Reviews from both clinical and basic research areas and General Commentaries focused on the immunomodulatory functions of repurposed drugs during infections. We expect contributions covering, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Drugs with immunomodulatory functions or potential host-directed therapies for infectious diseases.
•Drugs with direct antimicrobial effects on the relevant microorganisms.
• Study of drug immunomodulation in vitro using human/mouse primary cells or cell lines, and in vivo employing various animal models.
