Switserland

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Expertise

The vision of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) is to achieve significant improvements in human health and well-being through a better understanding of disease- and health systems. Its mandate is to contribute to the improvement of the health of international, national and local populations through excellence in research, services and teaching and training. Due to its expertise, it is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Epidemiology and Control of Helminth Infections.

The Helminth Drug Development Unit at Swiss TPH is interested in identifying and developing novel, broad-spectrum and orally active drugs against helminthic diseases, including soil-transmitted helminthiasis, schistosomiasis and food-borne trematodiases. The research in this unit covers a broad spectrum of activities, from drug discovery to development, from bench work to clinical trials in the field. This unit maintains a unique and wide range of helminth life cycles for our drug discovery work. Another main research emphasis is preclinical work, in which the drug disposition and metabolic parameters of anthelmintic drugs and drug development candidates are examined. Finally, it holds human clinical trials in endemic countries to assess the safety and efficacy of oral antihelminthics or drug combinations.

Role in the project

Swiss TPH is one of the three World Health Organization Collaborating Centers that were involved in the development of the project and acts as co-principal investigator. It contributes to the design and the monitoring of the proposed field trials.

Team members

   Jennifer Keiser & Wendelin Moser

Main publications linked to the project

• Keiser J & Utzinger J, 2008. Efficacy of current drugs against soil-transmitted helminth infections: systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA 299: 1937-1948
• Keiser J & Utzinger J, 2010. The drugs we have and the drugs we need against major helminth infections. Adv Parasitol 73: 197-230.

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