One medicine to treat both giardia and cryptosporidium intestinal infections
Development of dual effective kinase inhibitors as syndromic treatment of Giardiasis and Cryptosporidiosis
Developing new medicines that block parasite enzymes to treat children and people with weakened immune systems who have Giardia or Cryptosporidium infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11298921 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From my point of view as a patient, researchers are trying to create a single drug that can kill both Giardia and Cryptosporidium parasites in the small intestine. They found two promising chemical scaffolds in large screens and will make and test many related compounds in lab assays and animal models. The team will use medicinal chemistry to improve potency and safety and run lab tests that measure how well the compounds stop parasite growth. If a lead compound looks good, it could move toward safety testing and future trials in people.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be children or people with weakened immune systems who have suspected or confirmed Giardia or Cryptosporidium intestinal infections.
Not a fit: People without Giardia or Cryptosporidium infections, or those whose illness is caused by other organisms, are unlikely to receive benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could become an easy-to-use single medicine that treats both infections, especially useful when diagnosis is delayed or uncertain and for children or immunocompromised patients.
How similar studies have performed: Kinase-blocking drugs have been successful in other diseases and early lab screens here found compounds active against both parasites, but using one drug for both infections is still largely untested in humans.
Where this research is happening
Seattle, United States
- University of Washington — Seattle, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ojo, Kayode K — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Ojo, Kayode K
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.