DMPK methodologies for the acceleration of Chagas disease drug discovery

Up to 7 million people worldwide are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. There are currently only two approved treatments, both of which are effective if given soon after infection but are less so at later stages, and are associated with high incidence of adverse reactions. New treatments are urgently needed. At the University of Dundee Drug Discovery Unit, we aim to combine basic biology research with early drug discovery capabilities to deliver preclinical candidate compounds. One of our main areas of activity is the development of new methodologies related to drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic (DMPK) property optimisation. Here, I will describe the innovative in vivo, in silico and analytical techniques that we are currently implementing within our standard DMPK workflow to overcome common barriers to compound progression, understand parasite distribution, and to enable prediction of in vivo efficacy.