Pangyo, Gyeonggi, 10 May, 2016 | Institut Pasteur Korea (IPK| CEO: Roberto Bruzzone), today announced that they received recognition as DNDi’s Project of the Year for their screening and analysis expertise in the multilateral collaborative NTD (neglected tropical diseases) Drug Discovery Booster project (started in Apr, 2015) that cuts the cost of early stage drug discovery and accelerates and expands discovery of new drugs for two of the world‘s most neglected diseases – Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis.
 
The ground-breaking collaboration between DNDi, IPK and four pharmaceutical firms, Eisai Co Ltd, Shionogi & Co Ltd, Takeda Pharmaceutical Ltd, and AstraZeneca allows access to millions of unique, proprietary compounds simultaneously, in the hunt for new treatment leads for Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis.  IPK’s expertise in screening and analysis, coupled with state-of-the-art technology is being used to identify promising compounds.  Through the iterative process, promising compounds will be analyzed by DNDi and similar compounds in the partner’s libraries will be submitted for additional screening. “With each generation, we quickly identify and optimize compounds and narrow the search field, leading to favorable quality candidates that are more likely to make it through late-stage product development,” said David Shum, Team Leader of Assay Development and Screening, IPK. ”By filtering out failures early in the drug discovery process, we are filling the pipeline with drug targets with true potential, ensuring the most effective use of money and time.”

“This project is a wonderful example of how we can reach across industries to leverage the best resources and skills each of us has to offer in order to become more cost effective, efficient and innovative in addressing the unmet needs of millions of people affected by Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis,” said Roberto Bruzzone, IPK CEO. The awards ceremony will take place at DNDi’s Innovation & Access Partners’ Meeting 8 June, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
 
IPK has proven screening platform for drug discovery and is open to collaboration.  Please contact RTM team (031-8018-8000 | RTV-DIV@ip-korea.org) for more information.

 
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About Institut Pasteur Korea
Institut Pasteur Korea, located in Pangyo, was founded in 2004. It is a private institution devoted to discovery biology for infectious diseases. IPK’s unique translational capabilities and small molecule intervention technology make it possible to rapidly address unmet global health needs through diagnostics for detection and prevention. IPK strives to have fostering collaborations, partnerships, and educational outreach to share its knowledge and research know-how. Institut Pasteur Korea is a member of the Institut Pasteur International Network which brings together 33 institutes located in 29 countries, united by the same mission, culture, and values. Leveraging vast human and scientific community, the Network is involved in international research projects, public health, teaching and training programs. By its diversity and global presence, the Institut Pasteur International Network aims to respond, in an innovative way, to international public health issues and priorities.
 
About DNDi
Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a collaborative, patients’ needs-driven, non-profit drug research and development (R&D) organization that is developing new treatments for neglected diseases. In 2003, seven organizations from around the world joined forces to establish DNDi: Five public sector institutions – the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation from Brazil, the Indian Council for Medical Research, the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the Ministry of Health of Malaysia and France’s Pasteur Institute; one humanitarian organization, Médecins sans Frontières (MSF); and one international research organization, the UNDP / World Bank / WHO’s Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), which acts as a permanent observer to the initiative.  DNDi is based in Geneva, Switzerland with offices around the globe. 
For more information on DNDi, visit http://www.dndi.org/.
 
About Leishmaniasis (Source: WHO)
Leishmaniasis is caused by parasitic protozoa of the genus Leishmania. Humans are infected via the bite of phlebotomine sandflies, which breed in forest areas, caves, or the burrows of small rodents.
 
About Chagas disease (Source: WHO)
Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi). It is found mainly in Latin America, where it is mostly transmitted to humans by the feces of triatomine bugs, known as 'kissing bugs’, among other names, depending on the geographical area.