title: Development of novel drugs for human African trypanosomiasis.
abstract: Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) or 'sleeping sickness' is a neglected tropical disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei. Novel models for funding pharmaceutical development against HAT are beginning to yield results. The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) rediscovered a nitroimidazole, fexinidazole, which is currently in Phase I clinical trials. Novel benzoxaboroles, discovered by Anacor, Scynexis and DNDi, have good pharmacokinetic properties in plasma and in the brain and are curative in a murine model of stage two HAT with brain infection. The Consortium for Parasitic Drug Development (CPDD) has identified a series of dicationic compounds that can cure a monkey model of stage two HAT. With other screening programs yielding hits, the pipeline for new HAT drugs might finally begin to fill.
authors.affiliation: Department Medical Parasitology & Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, and, University of Basel, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland. brun@unibas.ch
authors.forename: Reto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brun
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Don
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Michael Zhuo
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Barrett
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001583:Benzoxazoles / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods*; D000882:Haplorhini; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D058069:Neglected Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology; D009593:Nitroimidazoles / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014346:Trypanosoma brucei brucei / Q000187:drug effects*; D014353:Trypanosomiasis, African / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D001583:Benzoxazoles; D009593:Nitroimidazoles; C038307:fexinidazole