There is an urgent need to develop new drugs to treat human leishmaniasis, a disease that causes debilitating and life-threatening diseases in millions of people worldwide. This project will investigate whether it is possible to develop a new generation of drugs that target a novel metabolic pathway in these parasites that we have shown to be essential for virulence.
Identifying Metabolic Pathways In Leishmania Parasites And Their Host Cells Required For Virulence
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$989,110.00
Summary
Our lack of understanding of microbial metabolism in infected animal tissues has hindered the development of effective therapies. This is particularly true for many parasitic diseases, including Leishmania spp that cause devastating disease throughout the tropics. We will utilize a range of innovative analytical and genetic approaches to identify metabolic pathway in Leishmania parasites and infected host cells that are required for virulence and are potential drug targets.