The non-profit medical research organization Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) welcomes the financial support of the Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund for a new drug discovery collaboration with the Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi & Co. Ltd., with a grant of approx. EUR 150K/JPY 23 million.
During this project that started in January 2025, Shionogi and DNDi aim to identify novel hit series with potential to be developed into safer, more effective drugs for Chagas disease, a life-threatening illness with limited and suboptimal therapeutic options.
Using a cell-based, high-throughput screening system at Institute Pasteur Korea, approximately 42,000 molecules specifically selected for this project from Shionogi’s chemical library will be screened to identify compounds that have an effect against Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease.
Six million people are currently living with Chagas disease, according to World Health Organization estimates. It is an important public health problem in 21 endemic countries of Latin America and an increasing concern in other non-endemic countries due to globalization and migration.
The standard-of-care drugs for the treatment of Chagas disease, benznidazole and nifurtimox, have to be administered for long periods, up to 90 days. They are associated with substantial limitations, including variable efficacy in the chronic stage of the disease, severe adverse effects (occurring in up to 40% of treated patients), contraindications, and adherence challenges. There is therefore an urgent need for new, safe, and effective oral treatments for people living with the disease, including women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
About DNDi
The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a not-for-profit medical research organization that discovers, develops, and delivers safe, effective, and affordable treatments for neglected people. DNDi is developing medicines for sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, river blindness, mycetoma, dengue, paediatric HIV, advanced HIV disease, cryptococcal meningitis, and hepatitis C. Its research priorities include children’s health, gender equity and gender-responsive R&D, and diseases impacted by climate change. Since its creation in 2003, DNDi has joined with public and private partners across the globe to deliver 13 new treatments, saving millions of lives. dndi.org
Media contact
In Tokyo
Yoko Noda
+81 70 4465 5453
ynoda@dndi.org
In Geneva
Frédéric Ojardias
+41 79 431 6216
fojardias@dndi.org
Photo credit: Rosie Wills-DNDi
