CA21111 - One Health drugs against parasitic vector borne diseases in Europe and beyond (OneHealthdrugs)

The recent COVID19 pandemic infection has undisclosed long-standing issues in the translation of drugs from animals to humans or vice-versa. Nearly 75% of emerging human infections worldwide originated from animals; existing drugs for human and animal (H&A) vector-borne diseases (VBD) are scarce, with limited efficacy, toxicity, and finite resources. Emerging environmental problems in pharmaceutical use/manufacturing increase attention in the field. The two drug pipelines are developed independently. Hence, cooperation is needed among different expertise to define how it is possible to develop new drugs in a more sustainable approach.

OneHealthdrugs aims at coordinating the discovery of drugs halting H&A VBD keeping with the principles of optimal profile for both organisms, increasing the quality and delivery technologies. The COST Action is the ideal platform aiming at the integration and generation of synergies among drug R&D experts from the chemical/biological/human/veterinary and earth science within academies, SMEs, industries, governments. The platform encompasses pre-clinical drug discovery, animal studies, and drug delivery. Strategies such as bioinformatics, PROTAC, nanotechnology will be enhanced.

OneHealthdrugs will impact in Europe and in disease-endemic countries. The Action will provide a compounds database and a white chart about the discovery of new drugs for H&A infections. Expected benefits include the transfer of academia-industry and Northern-Southern world knowledge. Conferences, training schools for advanced technologies, and STSMs are planned. Novel communication technologies to disseminate the Action results to a broad audience including scientists, stakeholders, and citizens are planned. Young researchers will be trained on advanced techniques.