New Disease Areas - Mini-portfolios

Having confirmed the strengths and potential of its business model, DNDi is now in a position to expand its scope, guided by the same vision and mission laid forth in its previous Business Plan. While remaining fully committed to neglected diseases such as sleeping sickness, leishmaniases, and Chagas disease, DNDi will be taking on specific projects for two new disease areas: paediatric HIV and helminth infections.

The key assets acquired by the DNDi model provide the essential building blocks for a more dynamic approach to our disease portfolio, notably with the development of mini-portfolios (carefully selected projects, limited in number, and in specific disease areas) to address well-defined unmet needs for other poverty-related diseases.

In-depth needs assessments were conducted by expert working groups, focusing on unmet medical needs, existing R&D opportunities, absence of actors, potential partners, and required resources as the basis for our analyses and decisions. More specifically, treatment for onchocerciasis (river blindness) and lymphatic filariasis (LF, or elephantiasis) in Loa loa co-endemic regions and improved paediatric antiretrovirals (ARVs) – formulations, dosage forms, and regimens – for the treatment of children below the age of 3 living with HIV, were pinpointed.