# Tafenoquine as a potential revolutionary treatment for babesiosis

> **NIH NIH R21** · NEW YORK MEDICAL COLLEGE · 2020 · $205,000

## Abstract

Human babesiosis is an emerging tick-borne disease in the US. babesiosis is a potentially life-
threatening disease caused by apicomplexan piroplasm parasites that infect red blood cells (RBCs). In
the U.S., babesiosis is primarily caused by Babesia microti (Bm), with some infections attributed to B.
duncani (Bd) or a B. divergens-like strain MO1 (MO1). New treatments capable of rapid and complete
clearance of parasites during human babesiosis are urgently needed. Tafenoquine (TQ) is a new 8-
aminoquinoline drug for the prevention of relapse from liver hypnozoites of Plasmodium vivax. The goal of
the current proposal is to complete preclinical animal studies to determine if TQ can be repurposed for
human babesiosis; particularly for those patients who are immunocompromised for whom short-term or
rapidly effective treatment options do not currently exist. The application of tafenoquine as a single dose
therapy for immunocompromised patients with babesiosis would be a revolutionary development in our
ability to treat babesiosis. In aim 1 we will test they hypothesis that tafenoquine leads to a radical cure for
experimental babesiosis meaning that it eliminates parasites in immune-compromised mice. In aim 2 we will
examine the mechanism of action of tafenoquine against Babesia.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9822953
- **Project number:** 5R21AI142523-02
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK MEDICAL COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** DANA G MORDUE
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $205,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-11-14 → 2021-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9822953

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9822953, Tafenoquine as a potential revolutionary treatment for babesiosis (5R21AI142523-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9822953. Licensed CC0.

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