Drugs against leishmaniasis: a synergy of technology and partnerships

To date, there are no vaccines against any of the major parasitic diseases, and chemotherapy is the main weapon in our arsenal. There is an urgent need for better drugs against Leishmania. With the completion of the human genome sequence and soon that of Leishmania, for the first time we have the opportunity to identify novel chemotherapeutic treatments. This requires the exploitation of a variety of technologies. The major challenge is to take the process from discovery of drug candidates all the way along the arduous path to the marketplace. A crucial component will be the forging of partnerships between the pharmaceutical industry and publicly funded scientists to ensure that the promise of the current revolution in biology lives up to our hopes and expectations.