Lead discovery is currently a key bottleneck in the pipeline for much-needed
novel drugs for tropical diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, African sleeping sickness,
leishmaniasis and Chagas disease. Here, we discuss the different approaches to lead
discovery for tropical diseases and emphasize a coordination strategy that involves highly
integrated partnerships and networks between scientists in academic institutions and
industry in both wealthy industrialized countries and disease-endemic countries.
This strategy offers the promise of reducing the inherently high attrition rate of the early
stages of discovery research, thereby increasing the chances of success and enhancing
cost-effectiveness.
