Download Announcement of a new collaborative project with DNDi

BIOASTER and DNDi join forces against Chagas disease in
the ‘Met&Path’ project
February 27th, 2017
PRESS RELEASE | COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE
BIOASTER, the French Technology Reasearch Institute (TRI), and the Drugs for
Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), a collaborative, patients’ needs-driven, nonprofit drug research and development organization developing new treatments for
neglected diseases, announce that they are combining their expertise to better
understand parasites-host interactions in a collaborative project named ‘Chagas
‘Met&Path’. The goal of ‘Chagas ‘Met&Path’ project is to better understand how
Trypanosoma cruzi – the causative agent of Chagas disease – can survive and thrive
in mammalian cells, looking at the metabolites (Met) and pathways (Path) involved
and how drugs affect the latter.
Chagas disease is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by the kinetoplastid
protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T.cruzi). It is primarily transmitted by large,
blood-sucking reduviid insects widely known as “the kissing bugs”. This neglected
tropical disease is endemic in 21 Latin American countries, and is of increasing
concern worldwide, notably in the USA and Europe. Approximately 5.7 million people
are infected, causing 7000 deaths per year. It is a leading cause of infectious
cardiomyopathy in the world.
There is no vaccine available against Chagas disease and the only drugs which
successfully kill T. cruzi parasites are nifurtimox and benznidazole. Both are more
than 40 years old. Although effective, they are used as long treatment regimens and
cause frequent side effects. An effective, safe, new oral treatment is urgently
needed. There is currently little clinical research for Chagas, and recent failures in
clinical development with new drug candidates highlight that, to develop the next
generation treatment, it is crucial to better understand which host pathways are
hijacked by the parasite, and to characterize relevant candidate biomarkers that
could be further used to monitor in vivo preclinical evaluation of new drugs. This is
the ultimate aim of the ‘Chagas Met&Path’ project.
During this project, we will compare the metabolic signatures of mammalian cells,
infected or not, and drug-treated or not. This will be performed using cutting-edge
technologies combining mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and
bioinformatics. The metabolic pathways differentially modulated under specific
experimental conditions will be mapped and relevant biomarkers of infection and
cure will be identified, confirmed, and quantified.
BIOASTER – 40, avenue Tony Garnier - 69007 Lyon - France - Tél : +33 (0)4 69 84 26 00
www bioaster org
“Joining the forces of DNDi and BIOASTER for this exciting project will be a great
opportunity to tackle major technical bottlenecks and significantly contribute to finding
solutions against Chagas disease”, said Cyril Guyard, Deputy CSO, BIOASTER.
“This project will be an important step forward to better understand T. cruzi parasite
interactions with the host in order to ultimately develop better drugs that will benefit
Chagas patients”, added Robert Don, Discovery and Pre-Clinical Development
Director, DNDi.
About BIOASTER
PRESS RELEASE | COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE
BIOASTER is a Technological Research Institute (TRI), the only TRI in the healthcare field,
and is also a not-for-profit scientific cooperation foundation (SCF). Created in 2012,
BIOASTER offers a new model of technological innovation in microbiology and infectious
diseases. Its mission is to carry out ambitious and innovative collaborative projects, with
and for public and private partners, to the benefit patients.
The aim of BIOASTER is to:
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conceives and develops new and innovative high -value technology in the field of
microbiology and infectious diseases;
promotes agility to overlap with the our partner’s expectations, and to answer
innovation financial issues;
Key figures:
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7 interconnected technology units, to serve 4 programs: diagnostics, vaccines,
antimicrobials & microbiota.
Total of 2,450 m2 of BSL2 & BSL3 laboratories (Lyon & Paris);
123 employees, including 80% of scientific experts and representing 18
nationalities.
48 projects including 19 with private partners, 17 with public partners, and 10
international projects.
About DNDi
Established in 2003, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a not-forprofit research and development (R&D) organization that develops new, improved,
and affordable medicines for deadly neglected diseases that afflict millions of the
world’s poorest people.
DNDi focuses on discovering and developing treatments for sleeping sickness
(human African trypanosomiasis), Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, filarial infections,
paediatric HIV, mycetoma, and hepatitis C. In 2016, in collaboration with the World
BIOASTER – 40, avenue Tony Garnier - 69007 Lyon - France - Tél : +33 (0)4 69 84 26 00
www bioaster org
Health Organization, DNDi launched the Global Antibiotic Research and
Development Partnership, a not-for-profit research and development organization to
develop new antibiotic treatments addressing antimicrobial resistance and to
promote their responsible use for optimal conservation, while ensuring equitable
access for all.
Since its inception, DNDi has developed seven new treatments for neglected patients
for malaria, sleeping sickness, visceral leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, paediatric
HIV with several new drug candidates in the R&D pipeline. DNDi’s objective is to
deliver 16 to 18 new treatments by 2023, ensure equitable access to these
treatments, and build a robust pipeline of new drug candidates.
Press contacts:
BIOASTER:
PRESS RELEASE | COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE
Olivier CHARZAT
Phone: +33 4 69 84 26 00
[email protected]
DNDi :
Violaine Dällenbach
Phone : +41 22 907 92 47 / +41 79 424 14 74
[email protected]
BIOASTER – 40, avenue Tony Garnier - 69007 Lyon - France - Tél : +33 (0)4 69 84 26 00
www bioaster org