New Treatment for African Sleeping Sickness Comes Closer

The central thesis identifying the drugs that can target the parasite, Trypanosoma brucei, which causes the African sleeping sickness, will be presented on November 8, 2013 by researchers from Umeå University.  This study will provide scientific evidence that a cure for this illness which is generally transmitted by tsetse fly can be developed. This inflection causes sleep disturbances and many neurological issues with the final stage resulting in unconsciousness and death. 

        The drug targets the RNA building blocks which resembles DNA building blocks.  Additional research is required regarding the production of the DNA building blocks from precursor molecules. These building blocks are made in stages called phosphorylation where enzyme are produced, then dATP. Soon after, the dATP becomes toxic to the parasite and they perish in a few hours. The researchers discovered that this process is more effective than deoxyadenosine in killing off the parasite. 

        In is interesting to note, that in roughly thirty-six Sub-Saharan Africa countries lack of medical information about the extent of the population that is effected by this disease. So, if we could get a cure that is inexpensive, easily produced and distributed, Africans quality of lives would be dramatically changed. 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131105194643.htm

 

http://www.medfak.umu.se/english/about-the-faculty/news/newsdetailpage/new-treatment-for-african-sleeping-sickness-comes-closer.cid224226