New Horizons in Leprosy Treatment: Innovations in Multidrug Therapy Protocols, Resistance Monitoring, and Therapeutic Targets

You can find the previous volume of this Research Topic here.Despite advancements in modern medicine, leprosy remains a persistent public health challenge, particularly in developing nations. The implementation of new guidelines and protocols has driven a comprehensive review of leprosy therapeutics, aiming to update current regimens and introduce novel drugs for cases where conventional therapy is insufficient for patient recovery. However, the emergence of Mycobacterium leprae strains resistant to standard drugs threatens these advancements, necessitating urgent and continuous innovation in therapeutic strategies. Consequently, understanding molecular resistance mechanisms and identifying new pharmacological targets are essential steps toward achieving global elimination goals. In this context, there is also a critical need for the development and validation of effective therapeutic monitoring biomarkers applicable across all clinical forms of the disease, enabling more precise assessment of treatment response and early detection of therapeutic failure. Furthermore, the integration of emerging multi-omics and advanced molecular approaches is essential for the identification of novel bacterial resistance targets and pathways, potentially guiding the development of more effective and personalized therapeutic interventions. As also, new alternative experimental models can provide faster and more accessible drug susceptibility studies for Mycobacterium leprae. This Research Topic aims to contextualize these challenges within the current landscape of leprosy care, emphasizing the need for updated tools and methodologies to monitor and overcome treatment barriers.Although new therapeutic guidelines and drugs are being introduced for leprosy treatment, their effective implementation depends on a deeper understanding of Mycobacterium leprae resistance mechanisms and the identification of novel pharmacological targets. This collection aims to provide a comprehensive, open-access platform for cutting-edge evidence on innovative therapeutic strategies, advanced tools for resistance monitoring, and the discovery and validation of treatment-response biomarkers. By integrating multi-omics approaches and alternative experimental models, this collection seeks to advance the development of more effective, accessible, and personalized interventions, as well as improved drug susceptibility testing. Ultimately, this initiative aims to bridge the gap between basic research and clinical practice, supporting optimized patient management and contributing to global efforts toward the control and eventual elimination of leprosy.This Research Topic welcomes contributions that explore innovative strategies for leprosy treatment and the monitoring of therapeutic success. We are particularly interested in manuscripts that address the following themes:• Implementation and clinical outcomes of new multidrug therapy (MDT) protocols and novel drugs;• Identification of new bacterial resistance targets and molecular pathways;• Development and validation of therapeutic monitoring biomarkers applicable to all clinical forms;• Innovative molecular kits and point-of-care tests for drug resistance evaluation;• Application of multi-omics approaches (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) to identify therapeutic targets;• Alternative experimental models for faster and more accessible M. leprae drug susceptibility studies;• Strategies for early detection and management of therapeutic failure. Topic editors: Angélica Gobbo, Filipe Rocha Lima Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79894/new-horizons-in-leprosy-treatment-innovations-in-multidrug-therapy-protocols-resistance-monitoring-and-therapeutic-targets