The leishmaniases are a complex group of devastating diseases with a wide clinical spectrum that annually affects more than 1 million people throughout 98 countries, leading to approximately 20,000 deaths per year in its most severe form, the visceral leishmaniasis. Additionally, most endemic regions comprise communities living under substandard conditions, with low income and social-economic standards.
The range of drugs available to treat leishmaniasis are far from ideal: they induce serious side effects, leading to several disorders ranging from nephro-hepatotoxicity to teratogenicity, according to the drug used.
In this project, we aim to design and synthesise tamoxifen/clemastine hybrid molecules to better understand these molecules’ activity, validate IPCS as the drug target and improve their activity.
This research provides insights on promising drug targets in leishmaniasis treatment, which directly represents a contribution to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being. As it is common in all neglected tropical diseases (NTD), leishmaniases has predominant impact on communities living in poverty living on less than $1.25 a day (the costs of a treatment are many times this).