01580nas a2200205 4500000000100000008004100001100001200042700001300054700001200067700001300079700001200092700001500104700001900119700001300138700001600151245009300167856007800260490000700338520102900345 2016 d1 aHotez P1 aPecoul B1 aRijal S1 aBoehme C1 aAksoy S1 aMalecela M1 aTapia-Conyer R1 aReeder J1 aLustigman S00aEliminating the neglected tropical diseases: Translational science and new technologies. uhttp://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.00038950 v103 a
Today, the World Health Organization recognizes 17 major parasitic and related infections as the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Despite recent gains in the understanding of the nature and prevalence of NTDs, as well as successes in recent scaled-up preventive chemotherapy strategies and other health interventions, the NTDs continue to rank among the world’s greatest global health problems. For virtually all of the NTDs (including those slated for elimination under the auspices of a 2012 London Declaration for NTDs and a 2013 World Health Assembly resolution [WHA 66.12]), additional control mechanisms and tools are needed, including new NTD drugs, vaccines, diagnostics, and vector control agents and strategies. Elimination will not be possible without these new tools. Here we summarize some of the key challenges in translational science to develop and introduce these new technologies in order to ensure success in global NTD elimination efforts.