Drugs for Neglected Tropical Diseases: Current Challenges and Future Opportunities

Date/Time: 26 September 2017, 10:15 AM
Speaker: Abhay R Satoskar, M.B.B.S., M.D., Ph.D.
Speaker Affiliation: University Anatomic Pathology Services Endowed Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Pathology, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Venue: John A. Burns School of Medicine, Medical Education Building Room 301

For more info: Cori Watanabe 808 692-1654
Description: Infections caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi are responsible for high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Over the last four decades, discovery of several new antimicrobial drugs has led to significant improvements in the clinical management of infectious diseases. However, due to the rapid emergence of drug resistance, a high prevalence of co-infections and increased incidence of infections caused by emerging pathogens, there is a constant need for novel drugs and therapeutic strategies for treating infectious diseases. This is especially important for obligate intracellular bacteria (e.g., Mycobacteria) and parasites (e.g., Leishmania), which reside within host cells and cause chronic diseases. Recently, a new paradigm has emerged for treating infections caused by intracellular pathogens, which focuses on identifying and targeting host pathways that are critical for invasion, survival and multiplication of pathogens. This presentation will provide an overview of novel host-targeted therapies that are under development for the treatment of infections caused by pathogenic eukaryote Leishmania.