Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are illnesses of poverty that impose a devastating human, social and economic burden. NTDs affect more than one billion people worldwide, predominantly in tropical or sub-tropical areas and among the most vulnerable, marginalized populations. A list of twenty NTDs have been prioritised by The World Health Organisation for prevention, control, elimination or eradication by 2030.
The kinetoplastid protozoa causing: Chagas disease, human African trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis, the flat worms responsible for: echinococcus, foodborne trematodiases. schistosomiasis, taeniasis & cysticercosis and the nematode causative agents of: dracunculiasis, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis and soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH), are diverse eukaryotic parasite groups listed under the umbrella of NTDs.
Preventative chemotherapy with community-based mass drug administration is the mainstay of control and elimination of certain helminth NTDs (i.e. filariasis, schistosomiasis, STH). Increased hygiene, public health awareness and case management treatments, sometimes combined with vector control, are integrated alternative strategies for other parasitic NTDs. Reliance on an insufficient number of pharmacological (small molecule) interventions, many that have been deployed for decades with emergent evidence of drug resistance, are vulnerabilities facing current NTD strategies. Further draw-backs of specific NTD treatments include insubstantial cure rates, poor selective toxicities, post-treatment inflammatory adverse events and/or a lack of efficacy addressing pre-established morbidity. Toward supporting WHO targets of 75% reduction in global disability caused by NTDs, a pipeline of new, improved interventions are urgently required to overcome present barriers to effective prevention, control and elimination. Fortunately, motivated by renewed philanthropic investments and public-private partnerships between academia, industry and product development partners, discovery and development of novel therapeutics are now emerging to support the global fight against NTDs.
In this article collection we welcome submissions detailing novel drug research for parasitic NTDs across all stages of the development pipeline including: phenotypic and target-based screening platforms, novel chemistry hit characterization, innovations in infection models, mode-of-action studies, preclinical pharmacology and proof-of-concept early clinical studies. We welcome reports examining repurposing of registered drugs and/or novel combinations or regimens of existing therapies. We also welcome contributions addressing adjunct therapies for morbidity reduction, including biological and host-directed therapeutics.
Conflict of interest disclosure: Dr. Srinivasa Rao is affiliated with Novartis Institute for Topical Diseases (part of Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Inc)
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are illnesses of poverty that impose a devastating human, social and economic burden. NTDs affect more than one billion people worldwide, predominantly in tropical or sub-tropical areas and among the most vulnerable, marginalized populations. A list of twenty NTDs have been prioritised by The World Health Organisation for prevention, control, elimination or eradication by 2030.
The kinetoplastid protozoa causing: Chagas disease, human African trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis, the flat worms responsible for: echinococcus, foodborne trematodiases. schistosomiasis, taeniasis & cysticercosis and the nematode causative agents of: dracunculiasis, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis and soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH), are diverse eukaryotic parasite groups listed under the umbrella of NTDs.
Preventative chemotherapy with community-based mass drug administration is the mainstay of control and elimination of certain helminth NTDs (i.e. filariasis, schistosomiasis, STH). Increased hygiene, public health awareness and case management treatments, sometimes combined with vector control, are integrated alternative strategies for other parasitic NTDs. Reliance on an insufficient number of pharmacological (small molecule) interventions, many that have been deployed for decades with emergent evidence of drug resistance, are vulnerabilities facing current NTD strategies. Further draw-backs of specific NTD treatments include insubstantial cure rates, poor selective toxicities, post-treatment inflammatory adverse events and/or a lack of efficacy addressing pre-established morbidity. Toward supporting WHO targets of 75% reduction in global disability caused by NTDs, a pipeline of new, improved interventions are urgently required to overcome present barriers to effective prevention, control and elimination. Fortunately, motivated by renewed philanthropic investments and public-private partnerships between academia, industry and product development partners, discovery and development of novel therapeutics are now emerging to support the global fight against NTDs.
In this article collection we welcome submissions detailing novel drug research for parasitic NTDs across all stages of the development pipeline including: phenotypic and target-based screening platforms, novel chemistry hit characterization, innovations in infection models, mode-of-action studies, preclinical pharmacology and proof-of-concept early clinical studies. We welcome reports examining repurposing of registered drugs and/or novel combinations or regimens of existing therapies. We also welcome contributions addressing adjunct therapies for morbidity reduction, including biological and host-directed therapeutics.
Conflict of interest disclosure: Dr. Srinivasa Rao is affiliated with Novartis Institute for Topical Diseases (part of Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Inc)