25 years of African trypanosome research: From description to molecular dissection and new drug discovery

Abstract

The Molecular Parasitology conference was first held at the Marine Biological laboratory, Woods Hole, USA 25 years ago. Since that first meeting, the conference has evolved and expanded but has remained the showcase for the latest research developments in molecular parasitology. In this perspective, I reflect on the scientific discoveries focussed on African trypanosomes (Trypanosoma brucei spp.) that have occurred since the inaugural MPM meeting and discuss the current and future status of research on these parasites.

Keywords: Molecular parasitology; Trypanosoma brucei; Trypanosome.

Fig. 1

(A) Progress in trypanosome biology over the last 25 years. Developments in the understanding of trypanosome biology have been driven by the development of new technologies (“Technology”), the availability of new datasets (“Molecular Cartography”) and through the utility of cytological and molecular markers or expression profiles (“Phenotypic read out”) that have assisted the interpretation of genetic perturbations. These developments have progressed the field from an era of description to one where gene function can be discovered and understood. B. Timescales of new drug discovery for African trypanosomiasis and molecular parasitological research. The major drugs for Human African Tryapnosomiasis are old, and there is an important need for new drugs. The development of molecular parasitology as a field promises to accelerate new drug discovery through the identification of important processes and targets in the parasite. However, the discovery and development of new drugs is slow and expensive such that the impressive discoveries that have emerged from molecular parasitology are only now beginning to yield new potential new therapies. This has been driven by an increasing focus and resource investment into the search for new drug targets as a complement to new biological understanding per se.