Repurposing as a Strategy for the Discovery of New Anti-Leishmanials: The-State-of-the-Art

Charlton, Rebecca; Rossi-Bergmann, Bartira; Denny, Paul W.; Steel, Patrick G.

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne neglected tropical disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania for which there is a paucity of effective viable non-toxic drugs. There are 1·3 million new cases each year causing considerable socio-economic hardship, best measured in 2·4 million disability adjusted life years, with greatest impact on the poorest communities, which means that desperately needed new antileishmanial treatments have to be both affordable and accessible. Established medicines with cheaper and faster development times may hold the cure for this neglected tropical disease. This concept of using old drugs for new diseases may not be novel but, with the ambitious target of controlling or eradicating tropical diseases by 2020, this strategy is still an important one. In this review, we will explore the current state-of-the-art of drug repurposing strategies in the search for new treatments for leishmaniasis.

Citation

Charlton, R., Rossi-Bergmann, B., Denny, P. W., & Steel, P. G. (2018). Repurposing as a Strategy for the Discovery of New Anti-Leishmanials: The-State-of-the-Art. Parasitology, 145(2), 219-236. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0031182017000993

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 25, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Aug 14, 2017
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: May 25, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 22, 2017
• Journal: Parasitology
• Print ISSN: 0031-1820
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-8161
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 145
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 219-236
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/s0031182017000993
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1386253