Development of Novel Strategies to Treat Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are infectious diseases and other conditions that cause physical and cognitive impairments, contribute to mother and child illness and death, and make it difficult to earn a living, thereby disproportionately affecting the world’s poorest populations. The World Health Organization (WHO) has a list of 21 NTDs that, combined, cause substantial illness for more than one billion people globally. These diseases thrive in conditions of extreme poverty; areas that generally have unsafe water, poor sanitation, substandard housing, and limited access to health care or essential medicines. In some countries this includes most rural areas, urban slums, or conflict zones, however, it is increasingly recognized that emerging middle-income countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) contain the highest numbers of people affected. Unfortunately, particularly in the past 20 years, the development of novel pharmacological targets and new interventions based on these targets to treat NTDs has been limited. However, in recent years there has been a resurgence of research in these areas and several successes. The purpose of this article is to highlight the recent work that has been done in developing new targets and interventions to treat NTDs.