The LEO Foundation, a Danish enterprise foundation, is investing in the development of a new method for predicting the clinical efficacy of new treatments for fungal mycetoma – also known as eumycetoma – through a breakthrough project led by Erasmus MC and conducted in partnership with DNDi and the University of Antwerp.  

The LEO Foundation’s commitment of DKK 4,000,000 (approximately EUR 536,000) over three years will enable the development of a clinically relevant, skin-specific, dynamic model of fungal mycetoma to facilitate pre-clinical drug evaluation – addressing a critical bottleneck in medical research and development for one of the world’s most neglected diseases. 

The fungal form of mycetoma, known as eumycetoma, is predominantly caused by Madurella mycetomatis fungi. It can lead to severe deformities, lifelong disability, loss of income, and severe mental health impacts due to social stigma and the chronic, non-relenting course of the disease. While the true burden of eumycetoma is unknown, it has been reported in more than 20 countries, mainly located in subtropical Africa, Asia, and Latin America. People in rural and resource-constrained settings are most affected. Current treatments are difficult to administer, require surgery, and must be taken for up to a year – often with poor results. Amputation is frequently the only option to halt progression of the disease. 

One primary reason better treatments for eumycetoma have not been developed is that there is no reliable way to test new drugs before they reach human trials. This new project aims to develop a first-of-its-kind pre-clinical model that can enable researchers to test new antifungals and other drug candidates through dynamic, non-invasive monitoring of eumycetoma progression, allowing for the evaluation of antifungal efficiency and the development of evidence to inform drug dosing strategies. 

‘We are extremely pleased that the LEO Foundation has invested in this project,’ said Jean-Robert Ioset, Discovery Lead at DNDi. ‘We are confident their contribution will yield positive results for neglected patients affected by eumycetoma by enabling researchers to test new antifungal compounds safely and effectively, paving the way for better and more affordable treatments for patients who urgently need them.’