Anthelmintic drug discovery: into the future

J Parasitol. 2015 Apr;101(2):125-33. doi: 10.1645/14-703.1. Epub 2015 Jan 13.

Abstract

The last half-century has provided all of the (few) drugs currently used to treat human helminthiases. Concern regarding the long-term utility of these drugs, given how readily resistance evolves in the veterinary-agricultural sector, spurs the discovery of new chemical entities. We review the approaches and technologies in use to identify anthelmintics and discuss a number of drug discovery paradigms that may prove pivotal to the next half-century of anthelmintic development.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anthelmintics / therapeutic use*
  • Drug Discovery / methods
  • Drug Discovery / trends*
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / methods
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / trends
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Helminthiasis / drug therapy*
  • Helminthiasis, Animal / drug therapy
  • Helminths / classification
  • Helminths / drug effects*
  • Humans
  • Phenotype

Substances

  • Anthelmintics