Rational design of new drug candidates for the treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi infection

Chagas' disease results from a parasitic infection and represents one of the world's most neglected diseases. Current therapies are limited to only two drugs, both of which have inadequate efficacy and serious side effects. Using established animal models of infection and known drugs active against the parasite, the aim of this project is to define the relationship between the time course of drug disposition in the body (pharmacokinetics) and the efficacy profile (pharmacodynamics) to enable the rational design of new compounds based not only on in vitro potency, but also on the in vivo disposition profile. The ultimate goal is the selection of two new drug candidates that are ready for further preclinical evaluation.