When I started working on the research and science of leprosy more than a decade ago, people thought
this chronic infections disease would eliminate itself and burn out over time.
We didn’t have time for that. Why? Nearly 250000 new cases of leprosy are diagnosed every year, and
many more go undetected. Approximately 10 percent of new cases occur in children.
Even though its associated with biblical times, leprosy remains a problem in the modern era and was
reported in 130 countries worldwide. Its most prevalent in a number of countries throughout Africa,
Asia and South America. Symptoms include progressive and permanent damage to the skin, nerves limbs
and eyes but they can take several years to appear, making the disease hard to diagnose at an early
stage.
Even worse, leprosy comes with a stigma. Unlike most other diseases, leprosy results in isolation as
people with leprosy are often shunned. The good news, however, is that we now have the key scientific
solutions and momentum as well as key collaborations to finally have the opportunity to eliminate
leprosy . I couldn’t have said this 10 years ago.
At IDRI, we are also attacking leprosy in two different ways.
First by developing a fast easy-to-use test that provides an early diagnose of infection before clinical
symptoms, such as nerve damage, begin to appear. This new approach is far superior to the traditional
method of diagnosis, which has generally involved clinical and or microscopic assessment. IDRI is also
developing a companion test so that we can identify which people will likely progress to the disease and
to determine the appropriate course of treatment.
And, second, by developing a vaccine that can be used therapeutically in conjunction with antibiotics to
shorten therapy. IDRI's diagnose tools would be used to identify infected individuals and IDRI's vaccine
would then be used in a targeted basis for treatment of the patient as well as to immunise family
members and close contacts. This treatment and prevention strategy has been significantly bolstered by
support from some pharmaceutical giants that donate the currently used antibiotics.
The most exciting part of this breakthrough is the fact that we are now right on the course of human
clinical trials after a decade of leprosy vaccine development. The Food and Drug Administration will
initially oversee the multi-stage trials in the USA before they move on to the Philippines, India and Brazil.
Global technology has been an integral part of our quest to eliminate leprosy. The rapid diagnostic test
for leprosy infection, for example, was developed in conjunction with a Brazilian company. This
company combined IDRI's leprosy diagnostic antigens with a smart phone-based platform that
standardises the ability to accurately interpret results and get a quantitative value. The test requires just
a single drop of blood, mixed with a developing reagent. The appearance of two lines indicates that the
person is positive for leprosy. From there, the information from the phone is pushed to the person's
medical records. People around the world now believe we will soon have the tools to finally eliminate
leprosy. The next step is making this disease disappear.
