ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND e drug discovery process for neglected diseases of the developing world is identical to the process applied to the discovery of medicines for auent patients. However, the context is not. While drug discovery for diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, or AIDS can build on very large bodies of basic science knowledge, this is not the case for diseases that have
CONTENTS Background 3 e Drug Discovery Process 5 erapeutic Tools 6 Drug Discovery Phases 7
D0 7 D1 8 D2a 9 D2b 9 D3 9 D4 9 Phase I-Phase IIa 9 Phase IIb-Phase III 10
References 10
4
been neglected for decades such as dengue, tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis, MTB), malaria (Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax), leishmaniasis (Leishmania sp.), diarrheal disease (several infective agents), or Buruli ulcers (Mycobacterium ulcerans), liariasis (Wuchereria bancroi, Brugia malayi, and others), diseases that have predominantly occurred in poorer regions of the planet. A snapshot of published papers recorded in Google Scholar illustrates this very clearly (Table 1.1). e 10 most neglected diseases are listed by the World Health Organization (World Health Organization, 2010b).
