Episode
Episode 44: Drug Discovery Where the Market Doesn’t Go: Targeting Neglected & Opportunistic Pathogens
- Published
- Feb 2, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1157
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Summary
Neglected and opportunistic infectious diseases affect some of the world’s most vulnerable populations—but often receive the least attention from traditional drug discovery pipelines.In this episode of Concentrating on Chromatography, host David Oliva sits down with Brad Haubrich to explore how early-stage drug discovery is being applied to fungal and parasitic pathogens, including those responsible for neglected tropical diseases and infections that disproportionately affect immunocompromised patients.Brad shares how his lab approaches drug discovery when the pathogen is eukaryotic—and therefore biologically similar to humans—making selectivity one of the biggest challenges. The conversation covers:* What defines neglected and opportunistic diseases—and why commercial incentives often fall short* Target-based vs. phenotypic drug discovery and when each approach makes sense* Using binding kinetics and residence time to improve selectivity and reduce off-target effects* Where chromatography, metabolomics, and mass spectrometry still play a critical role—even when not front-and-center* The growing (and realistic) role of AI in drug discovery, especially for underfunded disease areas* Why World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day (January 30) matters for raising awareness and accelerating progressThis episode highlights how analytical chemistry, separation science, and biological insight intersect in the earliest stages of drug discovery—and why progress in this space depends as much on collaboration and curiosity as it does on technology.🎙️ **Recorded in recognition of World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day**