A Lab Builds Better Barriers Against Invading Parasites
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A. We tried Cialis, but it wasn’t a hit. For African sleeping sickness, we got hits for a well-known antidepressant, a muscle relaxant, an antibiotic and “old man’s beard,” a plant compound sometimes used in traditional Chinese medicine. The muscle relaxant and the anti-depressant are particularly promising because they bypass the blood-brain barrier, a requirement in this neurological disease. Since these drugs are approved for other uses, it shortcuts the process of getting them out there. Of course, they’ll have to be tested on infected people. By the way, we’ve had good luck on Chagas’ disease, too - though we tried something different there. We actually have a drug candidate that has already successfully passed animal testing and will soon be ready to be tested on people. Q. Chagas’ disease is a huge problem in Latin America, is it not? A. It’s the leading cause of heart disease there. Right now, there are two drugs for it and they have very severe side effects. More : nytimes.com |