Leishmaniasis

The existence of leishmaniasis is a multilayered problem all over the world and is caused by the protozoan parasites under the genus Leishmania. Our company offers comprehensive services spanning the entire spectrum of vaccine and therapy development, encompassing candidate design and production all the way through preclinical testing.

Overview of Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by Leishmania protozoan parasites and is primarily spread through the bites of infected female Phlebotomine sandflies. The disease is manifold in its presentation, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), mucocuatenous leishmaniasis (MCL) as well as the most severe and alarming visceral leishmaniasis (VL). According to WHO, millions are diagnosed with the illness every year, most notably in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, with over 600,000 to 1 million new cases of CL and 50,000 to 90,000 new cases of VL.

Fig.1 Leishmaniasis life cycle. (Mann S., et al., 2021)

Vaccine Development for Leishmaniasis

The development of leishmaniasis vaccines has not been an easy task, primarily because of the complicated life-cycle of the parasite and various forms of the illness. Nonetheless, new insights into the immunology of Leishmania infections have recently facilitated the development of new vaccines.

Table 1. Overview of vaccine candidates in clinical trials. (Kaye P. M., et al., 2023)

Therapeutics Development for Leishmaniasis

The historical focus of drug development and research for leishmaniasis targeted various components of the immune system and the parasite itself in order to determine the various life phases of the parasite that can be targeted. In this regard, much effort has been put towards ensuring that the available immune therapeutics are sufficiently strong, safe, and affordable.

• Pentavalent Antimonials: Traditional first line medicines such as sodium stibogluconate are standard therapeutic options which definitely have been used over the years but toxicity and resistance are now emerging concerns.
• Liposomal Amphotericin B: A second-line medication which is better tolerated and more effective against leishmaniasis in patients who are resistant to antimonials.
• Miltefosine: An oral agent which shortens the duration of treatment, but has been reported to be teratogenic and cause resistance.

Therapeutic Development

Preclinical Research

Pathogen and Host Research

Disease Model Development

Our Services

In our organization, a group of specialists merges knowledge in molecular biology, immunology, and pharmacology to offer a major service of vaccine and therapy development against leishmaniasis. Their work fosters development of creative solutions against this neglected condition.

Vaccine Development

• Live-attenuated Vaccine
• Inactivated Vaccine
• Toxoid Vaccine
• Viral Vector Vaccine
• Virus-like Particles Vaccine
• Protein Subunit Vaccine
• mRNA Vaccine
• DNA Vaccine

Therapeutic Development

• Small Molecule Drug
• Therapeutic mRNA
• Therapeutic Antibody
• Cell Therapy

Preclinical Research

• Pharmacodynamics Study Services
• Pharmacokinetics Study Services
• Drug Safety Evaluation Services

Disease Models

• Leishmania parasites Infection Models
• Promastigote Stage Infection Models
• Amastigote Stage Infection Models

Infection routes: subcutaneous, intracardial, intraperitoneal, or intravenous inoculation.

In our methodology, we prioritize rigorous preclinical testing to assess the immunogenicity and effectiveness of vaccine candidates, coupled with thorough safety evaluations of novel therapeutic compounds. Through partnerships with esteemed research institutions and the utilization of state-of-the-art technologies, our objective is to expedite the progress of effective vaccines and therapeutics for leishmaniasis. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us.

All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.