​Principal Investigator: Dr. Robert Adamu Shey

Disease: River Blindness

Research Description: Onchocerciasis, known as river blindness, is a neglected tropical disease caused by parasitic worms, affecting roughly 21 million people worldwide and leading to itchy skin, blindness, epilepsy, reduced life expectancy and death. The approved treatment, ivermectin, is not an option for all patients and does not kill the adult stage of the worms, leading to long-lasting and persistent infections. This three-arm, randomized, controlled trial is targeting the adult worms directly by testing ivermectin in combination with atovaquone, an approved anti-malarial therapy identified using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, and Artemisia arfa herbal tea, an indigenous medicine used in low and lower-middle income countries. This research could identify multiple available, affordable treatments to greatly reduce the burden of river blindness for all patients.

Funding Partners: Biohub, Coefficient Giving and Lyda Hill Philanthropies

Initial CWR Funding Role: Primary