• Universitat de València
• University of Granada

• Clotilde Marín Sánchez
• Manuel Sánchez Moreno
• Rubén Martín Escolano
• Álvaro Martín Montes

There are a large number of serious human diseases such as Chagas disease and leishmaniasis, listed by the WHO as neglected diseases. These infections are caused by parasites belonging to the Trypanosomatidae family.

Leishmaniasis is the ninth most severe infectious disease in the world, and is caused by the parasite Leishmania spp. The clinical manifestations are diverse and can be fatal if not treated in time.

The problem with current treatments for leishmaniasis lies in their low efficacy, high side effects and the lack of an effective vaccine.

Researchers from the Universitat de València and the University of Granada have demonstrated the usefulness of polyaminic compounds in the treatment of parasitic diseases of the Trypanosomatidae family, specifically leishmaniasis, by means of in vitro tests. The compounds act by reducing the infective and reproductive capacity of the parasites, thereby reducing their survival, and have been shown to be less toxic than the current treatment, meglumine antimoniate (glucantime). These compounds have also been shown to have activity against different species of the genus Leishmania, so the treatment would be broad-spectrum.

The main application of the technology is in the pharmaceutical and/or veterinary sector, as a drug or active ingredient for the treatment of parasitic diseases in humans and/or animals.

The main benefits of the invention are:

• High specificity: the compounds inhibit the enzyme iron superoxide dismutase, which is essential for the survival of Trypanosoma and Leishmania parasites in the host.
• It can be used as a broad-spectrum treatment for genus Leishmania diseases.
• Lower toxicity than reference compounds.
• Lower cost of treatment and easier to produce.
• Easily scalable production of the compounds.

• Patent granted