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Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) is proud to launch the Pathogen Box – a new initiative to stimulate the discovery of drugs for neglected diseases and kindle new research in endemic countries. The Pathogen Box contains 400 diverse drug-like molecules and is now available for free on request at www.pathogenbox.org.
 
Each of the compounds has confirmed activity against at least one of the key pathogens that cause some of the most neglected diseases on the planet. The complete set of compounds is ready for dispatch to laboratories around the world to boost drug discovery.
 
Hand-picked by experts, these 400 compounds were ones that showed the most promise for drug discovery programmes for diseases such as onchocerciasis, Chagas disease and visceral leishmaniasis, as well as malaria and tuberculosis.
 
MMV’s experienced medicinal chemists analyzed and triaged active compounds from the European Bioinformatics Institute’s open access database, while partners with expertise in other disease areas were invited to share their insight, molecules and screening platforms. The resulting compound set was reviewed by a Scientific Selection Committee composed of leading figures in medicinal chemistry. MMV then procured fresh solid samples of each compound and coordinated the confirmation of their biological activity thanks to the generous contribution of screening resources by many partners.
 
The Pathogen Box can be requested free of charge. All that is asked in return is that any data gleaned from research on the compounds is published, shared and placed into the public domain to help spur further neglected disease drug research.
 
More information: http://www.pathogenbox.org/