Tuesday, July 1, 2025 7/1/2025

Validation of Trypanosoma cruzi dihydroorotate dehydrogenase as a drug target for Chagas´disease.

Award Number: R01AI160379
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/21/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2026

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Validation of Trypanosoma cruzi dihydroorotate dehydrogenase as a drug target for Chagas´disease. - ABTRACT Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiological agent of Chagas disease, a pathogenesis that affects 6 to 7 million people worldwide, mainly in Latin America. There is no effective treatment for chronic Chagas disease and resistant strains to the current frontline treatment have already emerged. There is a growing need for new pharmacological alternatives to treat this disease. This proposal exploits a target-based approach to search for lead compounds against Chagas disease. Trypanosoma cruzi dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (TcDHODH) is a flavin mononucleotide containing enzyme, which catalyzes the oxidation of L-dihydroorotate to orotate, the fourth step and only redox reaction in the de novo biosynthesis of pyrimidine nucleotides. TcDHODH was also described as a soluble fumarate reductase playing a role in connecting succinate/fumarate metabolism to de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. DHODH has already been extensively exploited as a drug target for proliferative and parasitic diseases. Genetic studies have shown that DHODH is essential for T. cruzi survival providing evidence that this enzyme is an attractive target for the development of antichagasic drugs. The goal of this project is to chemically validate TcDHODH as a new drug target for Chagas disease and to provide leads for drug development. Our approach combines multiple techniques including computational chemistry, enzymology, structural biology, parasitology, and medicinal chemistry to develop selective and covalent inhibitors of TcDHODH. Initially, we will seek to gain a greater understanding of the DHODH hot spots by using solvent mapping to characterize the binding pockets with the flexible active-site loop open and closed. This information will help strengthen the computational modeling, and subsequent compound design. Covalent inhibition of enzymes based on the identification of a set of cysteine targeting covalent warheads including acrylamides, vinyl sulfones and nitriles, has been shown to be a successful approach in drug discovery pipelines. In our proposal, an initial set of putative inhibitors that incorporate an acrylamide warhead have already been rationally designed to target the TcDHODH active-site cysteine. Predicted inhibitors will be evaluated for inhibitory potency and mechanism of inhibition against TcDHODH, cytotoxicity and its anti-parasitic effects in cell culture. X-ray crystallography, fragment screening and medicinal chemistry will be combined to provide the chemical basis for the synthesis of a new generation of potent, selective, and drug-like inhibitors. The top 3 inhibitors that meet lead criteria (including PK and tolerability) will have their efficacy evaluated by DNDi via an in-kind contribution to the project. This proposal represents an unprecedent initiative to significantly contribute to building capacity in the field of drug discovery in Brazil, a field of research still very incipient in developing countries.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $130,928 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSIDADE DE SAO PAULO	RUA DA REITORIA 374	SAO PAULO				BRA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	4	7/24/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$130,928
														Subtotal = $130,928

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $130,474 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSIDADE DE SAO PAULO	RUA DA REITORIA 374	SAO PAULO				BRA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	3	6/20/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$130,474
														Subtotal = $130,474

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $132,461 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSIDADE DE SAO PAULO	RUA DA REITORIA 374	SAO PAULO	SP			BRA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	2	7/1/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$132,461
														Subtotal = $132,461

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $134,861 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSIDADE DE SAO PAULO	RUA DA REITORIA 374	SAO PAULO	SP			BRA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	1	7/20/2021	NEW	$134,861
														Subtotal = $134,861

Grand Total All Awards = $528,724

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Validation of Trypanosoma cruzi dihydroorotate dehydrogenase as a drug target for Chagas´disease.

Award Number: R01AI160379

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/21/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2026

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer