The latest progress in assay development in leishmaniasis drug discovery: a review of the available papers on PubMed from the past year.

Introduction: Leishmaniasis is a significant neglected tropical disease with limited treatment options that urgently requires ongoing efforts in drug discovery. Recent advances have focused on the development of new assays and methods to identify effective therapeutic candidates.

Areas Covered: This review explores recent trends and methodologies in leishmaniasis drug discovery, with a particular focus on in silico and in vitro studies, as well as in vivo validation, using animal models.

Up-regulation of SPINT2/HAI-2 by Azacytidine in bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells affects leukemic stem cell survival and adhesion.

The role of tumour microenvironment in neoplasm initiation and malignant evolution has been increasingly recognized. However, the bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cell (BMMSC) contribution to disease progression remains poorly explored. We previously reported that the expression of serine protease inhibitor kunitz-type2 (SPINT2/HAI-2), an inhibitor of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) activation, is significantly lower in BMMSC from myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients compared to healthy donors (HD).