Novel antimalarial targets and the antimalarial pipeline
Kelly Chibale · International Journal of Infectious Diseases · 2014
Relatively speaking, antimalarial drug discovery from phenotypic whole cell screening has been far more successful than target-based approaches in delivering selective antimalarial drug candidates for a variety of reasons. It has recently been demonstrated that chances of discovering cell permeable and active antimalarials with potentially novel modes of action are significantly maximized through phenotypic screening. Compounds may easily be dismissed from target-based screening approaches if the desirable activity against the target is not achieved. The identification of novel antimalarial drug targets that may be relevant at all stages of the malaria parasite life cycle has been challenging to say the least. The absence of ready access to enabling technologies to allow the study of the malaria parasite life cycle stages is in part responsible for this. Some of these technologies are starting to emerge and are facilitating the discovery and evaluation of novel drug targets. Within the context of the antimalarial pipeline, although the currently available chemotherapeutic armamentarium for malaria is severely limited, re-engagement of the pharmaceutical industry through precompetitive research consortia in which there are shared resources and costs, thus mitigating the risks involved in drug discovery, is significantly changing the landscape as recently demonstrated through partnerships between the pharmaceutical industry and not-for-profit Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) such as Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV). This lecture will address platform technologies and how these have been utilized in the discovery of novel antimalarial drug targets. An update on the antimalarial pipeline will also be presented. In conclusion, new and emerging enabling technologies have facilitated the discovery of novel antimalarial drug targets and boosted the antimalarial pipeline.