The Challenge of Finding New Therapies for Sleeping Sickness

Abstract

Sleeping Sickness is an endemic parasitic disease caused by the kinetoplast Trypanosoma brucei, affecting not only humans but also cattle. It is included within the group of diseases collectively called neglected tropical diseases. Besides its direct impact on human health, its negative impact on livestock has an important effect on the nutrition of millions of people living in the prevalent areas and on the farming economics of their countries. Here, we present an overview of the parasite life cycle, its mechanisms to elude immune response, and relevant efforts for the development of new drug treatments with a focus on modern approaches such as the development of pharmaceutical nanocarriers, drug repositioning, high-throughput screening, and drug design.