Screening the Medicines for Malaria Venture Pathogen Box across Multiple Pathogens Reclassifies Starting Points for Open-Source Drug Discovery

• Published in: Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy Vol. 61; no. 9
• Main Authors: Duffy, Sandra, Sykes, Melissa L, Jones, Amy J, Shelper, Todd B, Simpson, Moana, Lang, Rebecca, Poulsen, Sally-Ann, Sleebs, Brad E, Avery, Vicky M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Microbiology 01.09.2017
• Subjects: Antimalarials; Antimalarials - pharmacology; Cell Line; Chagas Disease - drug therapy; Drug Discovery - methods; HEK293 Cells; Humans; Leishmaniasis - drug therapy; Malaria; Malaria - drug therapy; Neglected Diseases - drug therapy; Susceptibility; Trypanosomiasis, African - drug therapy; open-source drug discovery; high-throughout screening; drug discovery; Leishmania; MMV Pathogen Box; in vitro; plasmodium; trypanosoma
• ISSN: 0066-4804; 1098-6596
• DOI: 10.1128/aac.00379-17

Open-access drug discovery provides a substantial resource for diseases primarily affecting the poor and disadvantaged. The open-access Pathogen Box collection is comprised of compounds with demonstrated biological activity against specific pathogenic organisms. The supply of this resource by the Medicines for Malaria Venture has the potential to provide new chemical starting points for a number of tropical and neglected diseases, through repurposing of these compounds for use in drug discovery campaigns for these additional pathogens. We tested the Pathogen Box against kinetoplastid parasites and malaria life cycle stages Consequently, chemical starting points for malaria, human African trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis drug discovery efforts have been identified. Inclusive of this biological evaluation, outcomes from extensive literature reviews and database searches are provided. This information encompasses commercial availability, literature reference citations, other aliases and ChEMBL number with associated biological activity, where available. The release of this new data for the Pathogen Box collection into the public domain will aid the open-source model of drug discovery. Importantly, this will provide novel chemical starting points for drug discovery and target identification in tropical disease research.