Global health R&D at work in South Carolina
Clemson University researchers are seeking new treatments for sleeping sickness and leishmaniasis, two neglected parasitic diseases that threaten millions worldwide. The former, transmitted by the tsetse fly, leads to neurological and psychiatric issues, and the latter, carried by sandflies, causes disfiguring skin lesions and deadly spleen and liver problems in severe cases. The scientists are screening tens of thousands of molecules in the hopes of identifying ones capable of interfering with the parasite’s abilities to process sugar, their food and energy source. Molecules that show promise will be evaluated as potential drugs. If successful, the work could also lead to new treatments for other parasitic infections, including Chagas disease.