The proposed treatment is also used for leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease found in parts of the tropics, subtropics, and southern Europe, which is caused by infection with Leishmania parasites and spread by the bite of infected sandflies.

The project is led by researchers from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s who are working in collaboration with the University of Liverpool and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

Deaths from fungal diseases exceed 1.6 million every year, more than those caused by tuberculosis or malaria, and the mortality rates approach that of the Ebola virus. For example, India has seen over 30,000 COVID-19 related ‘black fungus’ cases with an overall mortality rate of 54%.

This new technology will be significantly more cost-effective and, therefore, could generate more affordable treatments for use in low/middle-income countries.

Dr Yiwei Tian, Principal Investigator of the project from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “Our project aims to address the medicine access issues associated with LAmB to save many lives, particularly in low/middle-income countries. We are very excited to receive support from the MRC Development Pathway Funding Scheme to develop this technology further towards the clinical stage."

As a Co-Investigator on the project and Chair in Pharmaceutical Engineering at the School of Pharmacy, Professor Gavin P. Andrews commented: “This work represents a significant milestone for our team and builds on our sustained investment in advanced engineering for pharmaceutical drug products.

“This recent work further extends the support we have received from EPSRC, the National Science Foundation, Science Foundation Ireland, the Department for the Economy and the Royal Society. I am thrilled to be part of this dynamic and multidisciplinary team and to help translate this technology to benefit patients around the globe.”

Professor Colin McCoy, Head of the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “As one of the top 40 Schools in the world in the field of pharmacy, I am very proud of the research emerging from this research team, and I wish them all the best with this important project.”

Professor William Hope, Dame Sally Davies Chair of AMR Research at the University of Liverpool, said: “Bacterial and viral infections are the most prevalent and common forms of infections, contributing to approximately 4.95 million deaths yearly. On the back of this major global health crisis, invasive fungal diseases are also rising globally, particularly among people with immunocompromised conditions, such as HIV/AIDs and cancer, and those who have had organ transplants. Better access to essential treatments is vitally important.”

Liposomal amphotericin B (LAmB) is a first-line treatment for many globally important invasive fungal diseases and visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, a parasitic neglected tropical disease. The research team will develop a new advanced manufacturing technology to produce LAmB more efficiently than current methods.

In 2022, WHO declared fungal infection a global health emergency for the first time. Over 600 million people are at risk of VL infection worldwide, affecting the poorest parts of the world. Effective treatment is vital in preventing the development of post-kala azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), a stigmatising, hard-to-treat complication to VL.

Dr Stephen Robinson and Dr Isabela Ribeiro, Directors at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative and advisors for this project, said: “The lack of access to affordable essential medicine remains a significant challenge to global health equity. Advanced manufacturing technology can offer real solutions, making essential medicines more affordable and accessible.”

As part of the consortium, the team will receive clinical and regulatory advice from St George’s Hospital London (Professor Thomas Harrison), LSHTM (Professor Joe Jarvis and Dr David Lawrence) and the non-profit R&D organisation Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi).

Media

Media inquiries to Sian Devlin at s.devlin@qub.ac.uk