• DNDi_Logo_No-Tagline_Full Colour
  • Our work
    • Diseases
      • Sleeping sickness
      • Visceral leishmaniasis
      • Cutaneous leishmaniasis
      • Chagas disease
      • Filaria: river blindness
      • Mycetoma
      • Paediatric HIV
      • Cryptococcal meningitis
      • Hepatitis C
      • Dengue
      • Pandemic preparedness
      • Antimicrobial resistance
    • Research & development
      • R&D portfolio & list of projects
      • Drug discovery
      • Translational research
      • Clinical trials
      • Registration & access
      • Treatments delivered
    • Advocacy
      • Open and collaborative R&D
      • Transparency of R&D costs
      • Pro-access policies and IP
      • Children’s health
      • Gender equity
      • Climate change
      • AI and new technologies
  • Networks & partners
    • Partnerships
      • Our partners
      • Partnering with us
    • Global networks
      • Chagas Platform
      • Dengue Alliance
      • HAT Platform
      • LEAP Platform
      • redeLEISH Network
    • DNDi worldwide
      • DNDi Switzerland
      • DNDi DRC
      • DNDi Eastern Africa
      • DNDi Japan
      • DNDi Latin America
      • DNDi North America
      • DNDi South Asia
      • DNDi South-East Asia
  • News & resources
    • News & stories
      • News
      • Stories
      • Statements
      • Viewpoints
      • Social media
      • eNews Newsletter
    • Press
      • Press releases
      • In the media
      • Podcasts, radio & TV
      • Media workshops
    • Resources
      • Scientific articles
      • Our publications
      • Videos
    • Events
  • About us
    • About
      • Who we are
      • How we work
      • Our strategy
      • Our donors
      • Annual reports
      • Our prizes and awards
      • Our story: 20 years of DNDi
    • Our people
      • Our leadership
      • Our governance
      • Contact us
    • Work with us
      • Working at DNDi
      • Job opportunities
      • Requests for proposal
  • Donate
  • DNDi_Logo_No-Tagline_Full Colour
  • Our work
    • Diseases
      • Sleeping sickness
      • Visceral leishmaniasis
      • Cutaneous leishmaniasis
      • Chagas disease
      • Filaria: river blindness
      • Mycetoma
      • Paediatric HIV
      • Cryptococcal meningitis
      • Hepatitis C
      • Dengue
      • Pandemic preparedness
      • Antimicrobial resistance
    • Research & development
      • R&D portfolio & list of projects
      • Drug discovery
      • Translational research
      • Clinical trials
      • Registration & access
      • Treatments delivered
    • Advocacy
      • Open and collaborative R&D
      • Transparency of R&D costs
      • Pro-access policies and IP
      • Children’s health
      • Gender equity
      • Climate change
      • AI and new technologies
  • Networks & partners
    • Partnerships
      • Our partners
      • Partnering with us
    • Global networks
      • Chagas Platform
      • Dengue Alliance
      • HAT Platform
      • LEAP Platform
      • redeLEISH Network
    • DNDi worldwide
      • DNDi Switzerland
      • DNDi DRC
      • DNDi Eastern Africa
      • DNDi Japan
      • DNDi Latin America
      • DNDi North America
      • DNDi South Asia
      • DNDi South-East Asia
  • News & resources
    • News & stories
      • News
      • Stories
      • Statements
      • Viewpoints
      • Social media
      • eNews Newsletter
    • Press
      • Press releases
      • In the media
      • Podcasts, radio & TV
      • Media workshops
    • Resources
      • Scientific articles
      • Our publications
      • Videos
    • Events
  • About us
    • About
      • Who we are
      • How we work
      • Our strategy
      • Our donors
      • Annual reports
      • Our prizes and awards
      • Our story: 20 years of DNDi
    • Our people
      • Our leadership
      • Our governance
      • Contact us
    • Work with us
      • Working at DNDi
      • Job opportunities
      • Requests for proposal
  • Donate
Home > News

Pandemic preparedness: DNDi and THSTI receive financial support from Novo Nordisk Foundation to develop broad-spectrum, host-directed antivirals

Home > News

Pandemic preparedness: DNDi and THSTI receive financial support from Novo Nordisk Foundation to develop broad-spectrum, host-directed antivirals

Lab activities
1 Apr 2024

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) of India are collaborating in the field of drug discovery to improve and optimize promising molecules that could become affordable, broad-spectrum antiviral treatments for influenza and other viruses of pandemic potential. The project is enabled through financial support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s strategic Pandemic Antiviral Discovery Partnership. 

Initiated in March 2024, this lead optimization project focuses on the TMEM16 series of compounds, part of DNDi’s R&D programme for pandemic preparedness. 

Respiratory viruses of pandemic potential such as influenza pose a major risk to human health. The development and availability of effective antivirals are essential in mitigating the impact of these viruses and protecting public health. However, there are only a limited number of antiviral drugs currently available, and few new antiviral drug candidates in later-stage development that could enter clinical trials to test their safety and efficacy when new pandemic threats emerge. 

A class of molecules called salicylamides provide an attractive starting point for the development of novel, resistance-resilient treatments for influenza infections. Like other ‘host-directed’ therapies, salicylamides prevent viruses from entering human cells and using cell machinery to replicate. Although compounds in this chemical class have presented promising results in earlier clinical trials, their drug property profile prevents the achievement of optimal human plasma and tissue exposure. 

The project led by DNDi and THSTI therefore aims to modify the structure of investigational compounds to improve the human exposure and obtain good candidates for pre-clinical studies. Given their broad-spectrum activity, salicylamides could target not only influenza A and B infections, but also other viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, Nipah virus, Chikungunya, and dengue.

Partners’ efforts have focused on the synthesis and profiling of novel, potent salicylamide derivatives and prodrugs with optimized physiochemical and pharmacokinetic properties to provide improved human plasma exposure compared to niclosamide and nitazoxanide while maintaining potent influenza activity. The project includes medicinal chemistry and pharmacokinetic studies, as well as pharmacological evaluation, including antiviral testing.  

Scientific results from this project will be shared widely through open-access publications. 

THSTI is a leading translational research institute funded by the Government of India with wide-ranging and renowned expertise in influenza virus pre-clinical models; DNDi is a non-profit drug development organization developing new, safe and accessible medicines for the most neglected populations. Their collaborative project aims to bridge gaps in research and development in India targeting new treatments that will be affordable and accessible for vulnerable communities. 

Photo credit: Matt Bouch-DNDi

Drug discovery Funding Partnership Pandemic Preparedness

Read, watch, share

Loading...
News
6 Jun 2025

DNDi is partnering with Médecins Sans Frontières South Asia for the Without Borders Media Fellowship 2025 

News
5 Jun 2025

Meet the DNDi Eastern Africa 2024-2025 Media Fellows

Press releases
5 Jun 2025

Colombia becomes first country to recommend rapid tests to diagnose Chagas disease

Statements
27 May 2025

DNDi interventions at the 78th World Health Assembly

Press releases
22 May 2025

Six African nations commit to eliminate deadly neglected disease visceral leishmaniasis

Videos
20 May 2025

The Children of the Sierra

Press releases
13 May 2025

First all-oral treatment for a rare but deadly strain of sleeping sickness now available and being used to treat patients in endemic countries in Africa

Statements
8 May 2025

DNDi’s briefing note for 78th World Health Assembly

VIEW ALL

Help neglected patients

To date, we have delivered thirteen new treatments, saving millions of lives.

Our goal is to deliver 25 new treatments in our first 25 years. You can help us get there. 

GIVE NOW
Linkedin-in Instagram Twitter Facebook-f Youtube
International non-profit developing safe, effective, and affordable treatments for the most neglected patients.

Learn more

  • Diseases
  • Neglected tropical diseases
  • R&D portfolio
  • Policy advocacy

Get in touch

  • Our offices
  • Contact us
  • Integrity Line

Support us

  • Donate
  • Subscribe to eNews

Work with us

  • Join research networks
  • Jobs
  • RFPs
  • Terms of Use   
  •   Acceptable Use Policy   
  •   Privacy Policy   
  •   Cookie Policy   
  •   Our policies   

  • Except for images, films and trademarks which are subject to DNDi’s Terms of Use, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Switzerland License