Dundee discoveries could transform cryptosporidiosis treatment
Scientists at WCAIR have made a significant breakthrough in the quest to eradicate a parasite that blights millions of lives.
Cryptosporidium is a waterborne parasite that leads to the illness cryptosporidiosis, which causes diarrhoea, stomach pains, nausea and vomiting in humans, with children particularly susceptible. Livestock is also vulnerable to the parasite, which can infiltrate drinking water supplies, swimming pools and other large bodies of water, making it hard to detect and control promptly.
Given its ability to dehydrate youngsters through vomiting and diarrhoea, cryptosporidiosis is a leading cause of death in malnourished children worldwide. Earlier this year there were dozens of reported cases of the illness in Devon after the parasite entered the water supply.
However, experts at Dundee’s School of Life Sciences have identified two compounds that have the potential to form new treatments. Led by Drs Beatriz Baragaña, Nicola Caldwell, Mattie Christine Pawlowic, Ian Gilbert, and Kevin Read, which include members of the School’s Drug Discovery Unit, and working with colleagues at the University of Vermont, the group developed the compounds, which have already shown promising results in animal models.
Because cryptosporidiosis lives in the gut, where drugs have previously struggled to target it, the team adopted a new philosophy to developing the compounds. Instead of focusing on making the compounds as soluble as possible, which is a common approach to drug design for other conditions, researchers looked to balance how the compounds were absorbed with how well they penetrated the gut.
Following laboratory tests, the team are confident that the compounds could form the backbone of new treatments for cryptosporidiosis.
“Cryptosporidiosis is a disease that affects both very young children in low and middle-income countries, and also here at home in the UK,” said Dr Mattie Pawlowic.
“There are no effective medicines for this disease, leaving infants and their parents without any specific treatment options. It has been incredibly exciting for myself and my new laboratory to be a part of this project where we have the possibility to see our work in the lab lead to real-world impact. It takes a huge team to perform this kind of work, and I’m proud to see everyone’s hard work now published.”
Dr Beatriz Baragaña, added, “It is extremely exciting to discover two lead molecules with potential for treatment of cryptosporidiosis. This diarrheal disease disproportionally affects small children and immunocompromised patients and there is no effective treatment for them. The success of this project is due to the dedication of a great team of scientists at the Drug Discovery Unit and our collaborators at Pawlowic lab in Dundee and Huston lab in Vermont.”
The full research can be read in the journal Science Translational Medicine and a version of the author submitted manuscript can be read and downloaded here.
