mCMV280

mCMV280 is a preclinical small molecule isoxazoline ectoparasiticide being developed by Calibr (the drug discovery division of Scripps Research) in collaboration with TropIQ Health Sciences and the University of Florida. It is designed as an oral medication for humans to prevent vector-borne diseases such as Lyme disease and malaria. The drug acts by targeting invertebrate gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-gated chloride channels, which are essential for the nervous system of arthropods like ticks and mosquitoes. When these vectors bite a human who has taken mCMV280, they ingest the drug and are killed, thereby breaking the transmission cycle of pathogens like *Borrelia burgdorferi* and *Plasmodium* parasites. This approach effectively turns the human host into a "dead-end" for the vector, providing a novel strategy for population-level disease control.