Future prospects for the chemotherapy of human trypanosomiasis. 1. Novel approaches to the chemotherapy of trypanosomiasis.

Chemotherapy of trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis is far from satisfactory and the discovery of new drugs has been slow. Emphasis on the empirical approach to drug development is now shifting towards a more rational, directed approach, which employs the modern tools of science. This is illustrated with respect to the newly discovered drug target, trypanothione, a unique metabolite which is critical for survival of Trypanosoma and Leishmania and absent from the host.