 DND"i" was created in 2003 to develop new treatments for neglected diseases.The organization was set up by key research and health institutions, notably from the public sector in neglected-disease-endemic countries - the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation from Brazil, the Indian Council of Medical Research, the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the Ministry of Health of Malaysia and France's Pasteur Institute, with seed funding from Médecins Sans Frontières' (MSF) 1999 Nobel Peace Prize.The WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) acts as a permanent observer to the initiative.