University of Dundee leads effort to tackle ‘cruel’ disease 

The University of Dundee has revealed plans to develop therapies to tackle a deadly tropical disease. 

The £10 million ($13.4 million) project will accelerate research on new therapies for schistosomiasis. The disease is a chronic illness caused by microscopic worms found in contaminated freshwater. Found largely in Africa, South America, and Asia, the worm larvae penetrate the skin of people who use the water for bathing, swimming and fishing.  

Initial symptoms include fever and muscle pain, but chronic or repeated infections can lead to gastrointestinal bleeding, liver disease, kidney failure, bladder cancer, and infertility. 

According to estimates from the World Health Organization, at least 253.7 million people required preventive treatment for schistosomiasis in 2024. Deaths caused by schistosomiasis are estimated at more than 14,000, though this number is thought to be vastly underestimated. 

Scientists at the University of Dundee’s Drug Discovery Unit (DDU) will lead the project off the back of receiving £9.9 million ($13.2 million) from Wellcome. The project will be a collaborative effort with Aberystwyth University and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, aiming to progress a new, pre-clinical drug candidate. 

“While many people in Europe may not know about schistosomiasis, it brings misery to millions of people, often in some of the most disadvantaged parts of the world,” said Dr Beatriz Baragaña, Principal Investigator and Portfolio Lead at the DDU. 

“At present there is only one drug approved for the prevention and treatment of schistosomiasis, but the possibility of increasing resistance to this means that there is an urgent need to develop alternatives. 

“This is undoubtedly a significant challenge but utilising the skill and knowledge we have here at Dundee, working in conjunction with our partners at Aberystwyth and in Texas, provides us with a generational opportunity to help those affected by this cruel disease.” 

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