Genomic Insights, Therapeutic Innovations, and Strategies to Combat Parasitic Drug Resistance

Parasitic diseases impose a colossal global health and economic burden, jeopardizing human and animal well-being worldwide, underscoring the critical importance of a One Health approach to combat these diseases. Antiparasitic chemotherapy remains the cornerstone of control efforts, but its long-term efficacy is severely threatened by the widespread emergence and rapid global dissemination of drug resistance across diverse parasite species, including Plasmodium, Trypanosoma, Leishmania, helminths, and ectoparasites. This escalating crisis, often underpinned by complex genetic and molecular mechanisms, necessitates urgent, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary efforts. There is a critical demand for both innovative drug-based therapeutic strategies and a deeper understanding of the molecular basis of drug resistance, including its genomic epidemiology and impact on treatment effectiveness and control programs.

This Research Topic aims to address the pressing challenges of widespread antiparasitic drug resistance and the urgent need for new chemical entities. We seek to integrate cutting-edge research that not only deepens our understanding of antiparasitic drug action, metabolism, and resistance mechanisms but also accelerates the discovery and development of next-generation small-molecule therapeutics. By fostering the dissemination of novel findings through interdisciplinary collaborations across the full spectrum from drug discovery to resistance monitoring, we intend to enhance treatment outcomes, effectively mitigate the spread of drug resistance, and contribute significantly to global health and well-being (SDG 3). We particularly encourage studies employing advanced methodologies in genomic surveillance, medicinal chemistry, high-throughput screening, and the exploration of novel compounds.

This Research Topic welcomes submissions focusing on various aspects of antiparasitic drugs and drug resistance across protozoa (e.g., malaria, trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis), helminths, and ectoparasites. Themes of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Genomic surveillance, molecular epidemiology, and population structure of drug resistance.

• Discovery and rational design of novel antiparasitic compounds, including natural products, synthetic scaffolds, and repurposing efforts.

• Elucidation of drug modes of action, parasite drug targets, and mechanisms of drug resilience (e.g., dormant stages).

• Pharmacological characterization, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD), and preclinical/clinical evaluation of drug candidates and combinations.

• Molecular and genetic mechanisms of drug resistance and innovative strategies to overcome or circumvent it.

• Development of adaptable in vitro, in silico, and in vivo model systems for drug research and resistance assessment, including xenomonitoring.

• Optimization of drug combinations, including synergistic effects of novel compounds, repurposed drugs, natural products, and host-directed therapies.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Drug resistance; Antiparasitic drugs; Genomic surveillance; Drug discovery; Parasite drug targets; Parasitic diseases

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.