Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) are pleased to announce the financial support of the Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund for their new discovery collaboration, with a grant of EUR 130’000/JPY 15 million.
The objective of the joint project is to screen Mitsubishi Tanabe’s diverse collection of 51,200 molecules to discover compounds that kill Leishmania donovani and Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasites that cause visceral leishmaniasis and Chagas disease. The screening of the molecules for potential new treatments for these neglected diseases will be conducted by DNDi’s longstanding partner, Institut Pasteur Korea.
Visceral leishmaniasis, with up to 90,000 cases estimated in Asia, Africa, and South America, is the second largest parasitic killer after malaria, with 20,000-30,000 deaths every year. Chagas disease, meanwhile, affects an estimated six million people globally and can lead to irreversible damage to vital organs, and death.
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Photo credit: Vinicius Berger-DNDi
