On the fast track to beat neglected tropical diseases

For drug target programmes relating to the pathogens on the WHO list of neglected tropical diseases, clinical or diagnostic milestone payments will be waived, thereby freeing charities and other organizations from financial obligations in their pursuit of new therapies for patients in the least developed countries.

The project is still open for proposals of drug targets to be screened at no cost for the submitter against the Joint European Compound Library, currently 400,000 screening compounds, whereof 80,000 newly synthesised to exacting criteria. Next to performing ultra-HTS screening, the project offers professional assistance with assay development, hit follow-up and medicinal chemistry all free of charge for the programme owner thanks to funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI).

Dr Eric Chatelain, Head of Drug Discovery at Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, encourage scientists working with a target-based approach for neglected tropical diseases to submit their programme. “It is great that the European Lead Factory reacts to the lack of effective drugs for neglected tropical diseases.”

Dr Achim Schnaufer, University of Edinburgh, has just received his so-called Qualified Hit List. “The compounds that were identified by the European Lead Factory have really promising properties and we look forward to building on these discoveries. We are very grateful for European Lead Factory's support for our efforts to develop new therapies for African sleeping sickness and other related diseases.”

In addition, further improvements to the project agreement have been made to the benefit of the programme owners.

For more information, go to Rights and Obligations or contact the Programme Office directly. The Programme Office will contact already enrolled Programme Owners on an individual basis.

Picture of Trypanosoma cruzi, courtesy of Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz)