Principal Investigator (PI)
The Foundation is providing £0 in support.
Julia Beveridge; Kévin Neildé
GSK provides in-kind contributions, including scientific expertise in T.cruzi in vitro assays, medicinal chemistry, DMPK and further profiling activities. GSK will provide access to the relevant facilities as well as the necessary laboratory supplies to carry out the different work packages.
Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease, which is spread by the bite of the assassin beetle (“kissing bug”) and endemic in 18 countries in Latin America. It is responsible for approximately 14,000 deaths and a disease burden of 0.7 million DALYs annually. It is also a primary cause of cardiomyopathy in the Americas. Two therapies are currently used for Chagas disease: nifurtimox and benznidazole. These drugs have adverse side-effects and they neither prevent the development of, nor can treat, chronic Chagas disease. There is a critical need for new treatment options for this neglected disease.
Researchers at Monash University, led by Pr. J.Baell, and University of Western Australia, led by Dr. Matthew Piggott, have recently identified compounds that show in vitro selective efficacy against T. cruzi and that have appropriate physico-chemical properties to be further progressed. In the frame of this project, two chemical series will be fully profiled and SAR studies established to optimize the hit compounds reach a good in vivo activity and fulfill the criteria for further development into lead compounds.