Repurposing Know-how for Drug Development: Case Studies from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Authors

  • Lukas Meier Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland
  • Marina Antillon Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland
  • Christian Burri Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland
  • Nakul Chitnis Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland
  • Yvette Endriss Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland
  • Jennifer Keiser Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland
  • Sarah Moore Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland; Ifakara Health Institute, Bagamoyo Branch, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
  • Pie Müller Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland
  • Melissa A. Penny Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland;
  • Till S. Voss Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland;
  • Pascal Mäser Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland
  • Jürg Utzinger Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2023.582

PMID:

38047834

Keywords:

Drug development, Drug discovery, Human African trypanosomiasis, Malaria, Neglected tropical diseases, Product development partnerships, Public-private partnerships, Repurposing know-how, Schistosomiasis, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Abstract

In pursuing novel therapeutic solutions, drug discovery and development rely on efficiently utilising existing knowledge and resources. Repurposing know-how, a strategy that capitalises on previously acquired information and expertise, has emerged as a powerful approach to accelerate drug discovery and development processes, often at a fraction of the costs of de novo developments. For 80 years, collaborating within a network of partnerships, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) has been working along a value chain from innovation to validation and application to combat poverty-related diseases. This article presents an overview of selected know-how repurposing initiatives conducted at Swiss TPH with a particular emphasis on the exploration of drug development pathways in the context of neglected tropical diseases and other infectious diseases of poverty, such as schistosomiasis, malaria and human African trypanosomiasis.

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Published

2023-09-20