Megalencephalic Leukoencephalopathy With Subcortical Cysts

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / November 7, 2023 / Gilead Sciences / In the late 1980s, people in Dr. Shyam Sundar's homeland in eastern India were dying by the hundreds of thousands of a debilitating parasitic disease known as visceral leishmaniasis (VL). "It was a very, very painful experience," recalls Shyam, Professor of Medicine at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India. "We used to see 40 to 50 patients every week, but we only had a capacity of 20 beds. We had no means to treat them. It was a very difficult situation." The only available treatment was considered highly toxic, requiring multiple applications and a 28-day hospital stay. Shyam resolved to find a better alternative. In the mid-1990s, Shyam met a Gilead scientist and began a long partnership with the company that would ultimately help revolutionize the landscape for the condition, which is the second-deadliest parasitic disease after malaria. The illness is spread by infected sandflies and can cause fever, weight loss, an enlarged spleen and anemia. If left untreated, it's fatal more than 95 percent of the time. Shyam helped conduct research in 2010, showing an innovative approach to the clinical management of VL, which resulted in a New England Journal of Medicine publication. "This was a game-changer," Shyam says. "It really astonished us to find that this innovative approach could potentially help a lot of people." Finding Solutions Against Neglected Tropical Diseases VL is one of 20 conditions identified by the WHO as a Neglected Tropical Disease - a widespread disease that occurs in tropical regions and predominantly in low- and lower middle-income countries. In 2012, the WHO launched a campaign to reduce deaths caused by these diseases in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent by 2030. In response, a coalition of organizations and biopharmaceutical companies, including Gilead, joined together in a pledge to meet those goals. They reaffirmed that pledge in 2022 in what is known as the Kigali Declaration. Since the pledge, Gilead has continued its long history in supporting reducing deaths from VL and controlling other neglected tropical diseases such as cryptococcal meningitis in efforts to advance global health equity. Most recently, the company donated vials of medication and provided financial support for better treatment access and screening in endemic regions such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Nepal and Somalia. "It's in our DNA to do the right thing," says Dennis Israelski, Executive Director and Head of Medical Affairs for Global Patient Solutions at Gilead. "Part of our purpose is to introduce and scale transformative therapies, and help address barriers to care - especially in communities with greatest unmet medical needs." The advanced clinical management approaches and additional community efforts have significantly helped reduce the burden of these tropical diseases. "We went from having hundreds of thousands of people with visceral leishmaniasis to about 800 people," says Shyam. "In my homeland state of Bihar, once an epicenter of the epidemic, physicians have seen only around 14 new patients thus far this year." Addressing Additional Tropical Conditions "What we've learned through our work in visceral leishmaniasis and other diseases can be applied to the medical management of other neglected tropical diseases that are fatal when left untreated," Dennis says. Gilead is partnering with investigators to evaluate the use of these approaches in studying invasive fungal infections in Latin America, Southeast Asia and China. Dennis says these collaborations are a part of Gilead's ongoing efforts to advance global health equity by finding solutions that reach disproportionally impacted communities. "We're dealing with some of the most complex public health problems in low- and lower middle-income countries," Dennis says. "Our work aims to have profound health impacts among people disproportionally affected by diseases across the globe." Originally published by Gilead Sciences View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Gilead Sciences on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Gilead Sciences Website: Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Gilead Sciences View source version on accesswire.com:

Gilead Sciences has announced it has signed the Kigali Declaration for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), joining the global community seeking to end NTDs by 2030. The declaration aims to increase government support and secure commitments to achieve the SDG3 target on NTDs and to deliver the targets set out in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Neglected Tropical Disease Roadmap which includes global targets to prevent, control and in some cases eliminate 20 diseases and disease groups by 2030. The Kigali Summit on Malaria and NTDs concluded on 23 June 2022 with heads of state and government from Commonwealth countries signing and adopting the Kigali Declaration on NTDs and renewing their commitments to end these diseases. Gilead has committed to supporting and investing in global initiatives that will address health equity. It will also spearhead and contribute to a broad stakeholder dialogue driving pharmaceutical sector engagement and investment in tackling environmental issues causing NTDs, such as climate change and lack of access to clean water. These efforts are in addition to the company’s commitment to ending visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and it will continue its product donation to the VL elimination programme led by WHO between 2023 and 2027. Although progress has been made in the fight against NTDs, with the WHO reports that an estimated 10.6 million malaria deaths and 1.7 billion malaria cases were averted from 2000 to 2020, the global toll of malaria and NTDs remains high. 1.7 billion people around the world are affected by NTDs, which are prevalent in tropical areas and mostly affect impoverished communities, causing serious health, social and economic consequences. According to the 2021 World Malaria Report, there were 241 million cases of malaria and 627,000 malaria deaths in 2020. Children under five are particularly at risk, with a child dying from malaria every minute in Africa. NTD programmes also suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of people receiving treatment for NTDs falling by one-third in 2020 due to health service disruptions. “Gilead has a long history of supporting the control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases. In signing the Kigali Declaration, we are reaffirming our commitment as part of our ongoing efforts to advance global health equity,” said Daniel O’Day, chairman and chief executive officer at Gilead Sciences. “The progress made against NTDs to date demonstrates the power of collaboration and unrelenting focus.”

June 13, 2022 12:00 UTC ATCC to collaborate with Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Ohio State University, and McGill University on a Leishmania donovani diagnostic test and Leishmania major vaccine. MANASSAS, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ATCC, the world’s premier biological materials management, and standards organization, today announced that it has been awarded two contracts from Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Limited, on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to continue its work with the biotechnology company on a diagnostic test and vaccine for Leishmaniasis, a vector-borne, global protozoan endemic disease. ATCC will use its recognized expertise in providing critical gold standard reagents to develop Master Cell Banks (MCBs) and Working Cell Banks (WCBs) for the production of a Leishmania donovani diagnostic test and an attenuated Leishmania major vaccine. “ATCC has been an authority on biomaterials management and in vitro model development for almost 100 years to the academic, government, and commercial science communities,” said Raymond H. Cypess, D.V.M., Ph.D., chairman and CEO of ATCC. “Our cGMP-compliant biorepository facilities, custom development services, and strict manufacturing processes allow us to apply our expertise in protozoology and microbiology to effectively support Gennova in their efforts to produce a novel vaccine for this devastating disease that affects some of the poorest people throughout the world.” Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by several Leishmania species, which are transmitted to humans through the bites of certain species of infected sand flies, including Leishmania major and Leishmania donovani. There are three main forms of leishmaniasis in people: cutaneous (CL) which may cause skin sores, mucocutaneous found in the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth, and throat, and visceral (VL) which affects internal organs such as the spleen, liver, and bone marrow. Symptoms range from mild to severe to life-threatening in VL. The Leishmania antigen (leishmanin), which has been used in the Leishmanin Skin Test (LST) to diagnose the disease for decades, is no longer produced under good manufacturing practice (GMP) conditions anywhere in the world. Similarly, vaccination through leishmanization with live Leishmania major was used successfully in the past but is no longer practiced because it resulted in occasional skin lesions. As a result, an attenuated strain of Leishmania major that does not cause skin lesions and induces protection against Leishmania infection was developed. The attenuated Leishmania major and Leishmania donovani will be produced over a 12-month period of performance. Additionally, ATCC will offer cGMP storage of the MCB and safety stock vials at its facility for one year. “ATCC is proud to collaborate with the FDA, Gennova, Ohio State University, and McGill University’s continuing efforts to develop a modern-day diagnostic skin test, as well as grow, characterize, and store a developmental vaccine strain of Leishmania major,” said Joseph Leonelli, Ph.D., senior vice president of ATCC Federal Solutions. “We remain committed to the global scientific community to support discoveries that can combat world health issues such as Leishmaniasis and benefit humanity.” About ATCC ATCC is a premier global biological materials and information resource and standards organization. It is the leading developer and supplier of authenticated cell lines, microorganisms, and associated data for academia, industry, and government. With a history of scientific contributions spanning nearly a century, ATCC offers an unmatched combination of being the world’s largest and most diverse collection of biological reference materials and data and is a mission-driven, trusted partner that supports and encourages scientific collaboration. ATCC products, services, partnerships, and people provide the global scientific community with credible, advanced model systems to support complex research and innovations in basic science, drug discovery, translational medicine, and public health. ATCC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with headquarters in Manassas, Virginia, and a research and technology center of excellence in Gaithersburg, Maryland. To learn more, visit atcc.org.