Novel inhibitors of Leishmania donovani for the treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis

Visceral leishmaniasis is a parasitic endemic caused by the protozoan parasite, Leishmania donovani. Parasites are transmitted to humans via infected sandflies, and can spread to visceral organs, causing eventual death. Current treatments remain unsuitable, due to severe side effects and building resistance. This project involved the design, synthesis, and successful optimization of novel chemical entities developed to strongly inhibit Leishmania parasites, whilst maintaining low toxicity against mammalian cells. Understanding which structural chemical modifications caused favourable potency was key to developing new lead compounds. Compounds were also designed possess drug-like properties, and overall aimed to guide future studies for drug development.