ISNTD d3 2024 | Drug discovery, development & diagnostics for NTDs

27-28 February 2024
virtual event

"50 down, 50 to go". 50 countries have eliminated at least one Neglected Tropical Disease, half way to the milestone of 100 countries achieving this goal by 2030. 

The International Society for NTDs is hosting the ISNTD d³ 2024 meeting which takes a closer look at how progress in drug discovery and diagnostics in the field of Neglected Tropical Diseases is critical is supporting this ambitious target, and shares some of the recent updates and challenges in the pipeline for drugs and diagnostics for NTDs. This series of talks will address the current gaps and collaboration opportunities across tropical diseases and diseases of poverty to accelerate drug discovery & development as well as diagnostics and surveillance opportunities. 

This year, against the backdrop of 50 countries having eliminated one or more neglected tropical diseases, ISNTD d³ will shine a spotlight on the tools, progress and needs to ensure the goal of 100 countries reaching elimination by 2030 comes into reach. ​

Presentations & panel discussions will run on both days, and partnership meetings can be arranged throughout the day.

Please contact comparetm [at] isntd [dot] org for further details and any questions.

Programme

DRUG DISCOVERY & DEVELOPMENT - ISNTD d3 2024: DAY 1, 27 FEB 2024

10.00-11.30 UTC - From pipeline to neglected patients: overcoming challenges in drug discovery for NTDs

Evaluating Care and Management of Individuals Impacted by chronic manifestations of NTDs 

  • Dr Lorraine Pfavayi (Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Edinburgh)

Short-course combination treatment for experimental chronic Chagas disease

  • Dr Manu de Rycker (Head of Translational Parasitology and Portfolio Leader for Kinetoplastid Drug Discovery at the Drug Discovery Unit, University of Dundee)

Identifying novel snake venom metalloproteinase toxin inhibitors

  • Dr Rachel Clare (Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Centre for Snakebite Research and Interventions, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine)

Repurposing of Tuberculosis drug candidates for the treatment of Mycobacterium ulcerans disease

  • Dr Louisa Warryn (Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute)

Navigating drug repurposing for Chagas disease: advances, challenges, and opportunities

  • Dr Exequiel Porta (Research Fellow in Chemistry, UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London)

 

11.45-13.15 UTC - Spotlight on sleeping sickness: a safer treatment to accelerate elimination

  • Dr Gerardo Priotto (Medical Officer, World Health Organization)
  • Dr Philippe Neau ( Head of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Foundation S, the Sanofi Collective)
  • Dr Wilfried Mutombo Kalonji (Regional Head Of Clinical Operations, Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative)

 

13.30-15.00 UTC - Pediatric advances in neglected tropical diseases treatments

​Paediatric drug optimization for neglected tropical diseases: outcomes and progress

  • Dr Tiziana Masini (World Health Organization (Global Accelerator for Paediatric formulations, GAP-f)

Ivermectin safety in small children 

  • Dr Kevin Kobylinski (Honorary Visiting Research Fellow, MORU Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit)

Arpraziquantel to treat schistosomiasis in preschool-aged children

  • Dr Beatrice Greco (Head of R&D and Access, Merck Global Health Institute)

Oral Amphotericin B and paediatric challenges in leishmaniasis treatment

  • Prof Kishor Wasan (Neglected Global Diseases Initiative, University of British Columbia)

 

DIAGNOSTICS FOR NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES - ISNTD d3 2024: DAY 2, 28 FEB 2024

 

10.00-11.30 UTC - Technology and tools in Neglected Tropical Diseases diagnostics

​Is self-testing the next paradigm for diagnostics?

  • Dr Shrikant Pawar (Mylab Discovery Solutions)

​Near-infrared spectroscopy and machine learning algorithms for rapid and non-invasive detection of Trichuris

  • Dr Maggy Sikulu-Lord (Centre for Animal Science, University of Queensland)

Smart optical diagnostics for schistosomiasis and intestinal helminth infections

  • Dr Prosper Oyibo (Delft Center for Systems and Control, Delft University of Technology)

Molecular diagnostics for neglected tropical diseases

  • Dr Andy Wende (Xpedite Diagnostics)

 

11.45-13.15 UTC - Novel diagnostics: neglected tropical diseases surveillance to elimination 

Molecular diagnosis of intestinal schistosomiasis: An overview of current protocols and what is needed, highlighted using data from a S. mansoni and S. haematobium co-endemic area

  • Dr John Archer (Natural History Museum, London)

Dried Blood Spots (DBS): A suitable alternative to using whole blood samples for diagnostic testing of visceral leishmaniasis in the post-elimination era

  • Abu Rahat (Senior Scientist, icddr,b Bangladesh) 

Coupling ELISA to smartphones for POCT of chronic and congenital Chagas disease

  • Dr Federico Schaumburg (Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química, INTEC CONICET-UNL, Argentina)

Sensitivity and specificity of human point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) test in African livestock for rapid diagnosis of schistosomiasis: A Bayesian latent class analysis

  • Dr Beatriz Calvo-Urbano (Royal Veterinary College & Imperial College Faculty of Medicine)

 

13.30-15.00 UTC - The challenges of febrile illnesses diagnosis

Challenges of acute febrile illness diagnosis in a national infectious diseases center in Rio de Janeiro

  • Dr Clarisse da Silveira Bressan (Acute Febrile Illnesses Service, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro)

Perceptions and priorities for the development of multiplex rapid diagnostic tests for acute non-malarial fever in rural South and Southeast Asia

  • Dr Chris Chew (Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Thailand & University of Queensland)

A comprehensive review of dengue with a focus on emerging solutions for precision and timely detection

  • Harvinder Kour Khera (Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, Bangalore Life Science Cluster, BLiSC)

​Bringing high-quality molecular diagnostics to all 

  • Dr Seth Egan (Co-Diagnostics)

 

 

Diagnostics Research