From Our Partners
Sunday, June 26, 2022
News on Pathogens and Preparedness
Global Biodefense
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Global Biodefense
No Result
View All Result
Home Medical Countermeasures

Targeting One Enzyme Key to Tackling Two Tropical Diseases

by Global Biodefense Staff
March 6, 2015
Leishmania donovani in bone marrow cell

Leishmania donovani in bone marrow cell. Credit: L.L. Moore, Jr. (CDC)

A way to combat malaria developed at Imperial College may also be effective against the deadly tropical disease leishmaniasis, new research has shown.

The approach targets a crucial enzyme which causes the parasite to shut down and eventually die following infection.

In the latest research, researchers from Imperial College London and the University of York found that blocking the same enzyme in the Leishmania donovani parasite also has a devastating effect on this pathogen. The study is the cover story in this month’s Chemistry and Biology.

Leishmaniasis is a tropical parasitic disease spread by sand flies when they feed on human blood, with around 300 million people at risk of infection across north Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent and Central and South America.  The most deadly form of the disease is caused by the parasite Leishmania donovani and kills 30,000 people each year.

“There are many groups around the world working on malaria, but there is much less activity on leishmaniasis, despite it causing a high burden in disadvantaged communities,” says Professor Ed Tate, who led the research at Imperial. “The drugs currently available have problems with toxicity and resistance, as well as being expensive.”

In 2013, research by Professor Tate’s group, reported in Nature Chemistry, showed that an enzyme called NMT was central to numerous crucial protein functions in the malaria parasite.

They also designed a number of different molecules to inhibit the enzyme, which prevented the parasite from multiplying and extended the lifespan of infected mice.

NMT was first identified as a target for drug development in leishmaniasis in 2003 by Professor Deborah Smith, then at Imperial and now at the University of York. In this latest study, the team identified which proteins in the Leishmania parasite were affected by the enzyme, and then quantified the effect that NMT inhibitor molecules had on these proteins.

“Relatively little was known about these molecular pathways in this parasite and this rigorous approach allowed us to really dig down to find out more about how it works and – for the first time – quantify the potential of NMT inhibitors as drug candidates,”  said co-author, Dr Megan Wright.

“NMT is a very central drug target,” continued Professor Tate. “If you stop it from working, the whole parasite shuts down and dies. We now have the evidence that links the drug-like compounds to their effect on the enzyme and the death of the parasite. We had long suspected that inhibiting this enzyme could be key to tackling other devastating parasitic diseases, so it’s particularly pleasing that this seems also to be the case for leishmaniasis.”

The team intends to further improve its drug compound portfolio ahead of animal trials, which they hope to take place within 3 years.

Read the study: Global Analysis of Protein N-Myristoylation and Exploration of N-Myristoyltransferase as a Drug Target in the Neglected Human Pathogen Leishmania donovani.

Article courtesy of Imperial College London, edited for context and length.

From Our Partners
Tags: LeishmaniasisMalariaNeglected Tropical Diseases

Related Posts

UK Health Security Agency Widens Monkeypox Vaccine Umbrella for Outbreak Control
Medical Countermeasures

UK Health Security Agency Widens Monkeypox Vaccine Umbrella for Outbreak Control

June 21, 2022
Biodefense Industry News
Industry News

Tonix Pharmaceuticals Opens Advanced Development Center for Vaccine Programs

June 20, 2022
Chronic Wasting Disease: The Fatal Prion Infection Killing Elk and Deer in North America
Infectious Diseases

Chronic Wasting Disease: The Fatal Prion Infection Killing Elk and Deer in North America

June 10, 2022
Monkeypox Cases Prompt Additional Contracts for Bavarian Nordic Vaccine
Medical Countermeasures

Monkeypox Cases Prompt Additional Contracts for Bavarian Nordic Vaccine

May 30, 2022
Load More

Latest News

Poliovirus Detected in London Sewage: Response Measures Emphasize Wastewater Surveillance and Vaccination Gaps

Poliovirus Detected in London Sewage: Response Measures Emphasize Wastewater Surveillance and Vaccination Gaps

June 22, 2022
Monkeypox Diagnostics: CDC Authorizes Five Commercial Lab Companies

Monkeypox Diagnostics: CDC Authorizes Five Commercial Lab Companies

June 22, 2022
UK Health Security Agency Widens Monkeypox Vaccine Umbrella for Outbreak Control

UK Health Security Agency Widens Monkeypox Vaccine Umbrella for Outbreak Control

June 21, 2022
Influenza Research

New Way to Identify Influenza A Virus Lights Up When Specific Virus Targets are Present

June 20, 2022

Subscribe

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Stemar Media Group LLC

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Stemar Media Group LLC