Network-Based Approaches Reveal Potential Therapeutic Targets for Host-Directed Antileishmanial Therapy Driving Drug Repurposing
October 2021
in “
Microbiology spectrum
”
TLDR Researchers identified five new potential targets for leishmaniasis treatment, suggesting repurposing existing drugs could be effective.
The study used network-based computational methods to identify potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of leishmaniasis, a disease caused by the Leishmania parasite. The researchers analyzed transcription factor regulatory networks of macrophages infected with Leishmania major and identified five host protein-coding gene products as potential therapeutic targets. They found 11 drugs known to interact with these proteins, 3 of which have already been tested against this parasite, while the remaining eight are promising yet-untested antileishmanial therapies. The study suggests that these targets could be used to develop new treatments for leishmaniasis, potentially repurposing existing drugs for a more efficient and cost-effective approach. The document does not specify the number of people involved in the study.
