AstraZeneca and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) today announce an agreement to collaborate on drug-compound screening for leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and sleeping sickness, three neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) which together affect nearly 10 million people worldwide. Novel drug candidates to emerge from this collaboration will bolster the drug development pipeline for new medicines urgently needed by millions of patients.
In the new partnership, AstraZeneca will provide to DNDi 15,000 compounds that have the potential for activity against leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and sleeping sickness. The screening activities, coordinated by DNDi, will be performed at Institut Pasteur Korea (IPK). If active compounds against any of the three diseases are identified as 'hits', DNDi and AstraZeneca will jointly assess their potential as starting points for future medicines.
'As a global pharmaceutical company which conducts a significant amount of infectious disease research, AstraZeneca recognizes the urgent need to deliver new medicines for people who suffer from neglected tropical diseases. Sharing science beyond our own labs with leading organizations like DNDi is a great way to tackle these complex diseases that have gone unchecked for far too long', said Manos Perros, Head of the AstraZeneca Infection Innovative Medicines Unit.