Effective drug discovery in Chagas disease

The Chagas field has gone >50 years without tangible progress toward new thera-pies. My colleagues and I have recently reported on a benzoxaborole compound that achieves consistent parasitological cure in experimentally infected mice and in naturally infected non-human primates (NHPs). While these results do not assure success in human clinical trials, they significantly de-risk this process and form a strong justification for such trials. Highly effective drug discovery depends on a solid understanding of host and parasite biology and excellent knowledge in de-signing and validating chemical entities. This opinion piece seeks to provide per-spectives on the process that led to the discovery of AN15368, with the hope that this will facilitate the discovery of additional clinical candidates for Chagas disease.

Automated summary

The author and his colleagues have recently reported on a benzoxaborole compound that can consistently cure parasites in experimentally infected mice and naturally infected non-human primates (NHPs). Although these results do not guarantee success in human clinical trials, they significantly reduce the risks and provide strong justification for such trials. Effective drug discovery relies on understanding host and parasite biology and expertise in designing and validating chemical entities. This opinion piece aims to provide insights into the process that led to the discovery of AN15368, hoping to facilitate the discovery of more clinical candidates for Chagas disease.