Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Leishmaniases are parasitic diseases that affect both humans and animals. It is caused by species of protozoan parasite belonging to the genus Leishmania, and is transmitted by the bite of female Sand files. The disease is endemic in 88 countries and it is currently estimated by WHO that about 12 million people worldwide are afflicted with the disease with more than1.5 - 2 million new cases occurring every year and 350 million people at risk of infection. Current treatments are very expensive, highly toxic and there are increasing reports of development of drug resistance. Although, the disease occurs mostly in the tropics and subtropics, increased travel, globalization and war, has resulted in the presence of the disease in individuals from non endemic areas. For instance, Canadian and American Soldiers returning from active duty in the endemic areas like Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with the disease. Vaccination remains the most cost-effective means of controlling infectious diseases. Unfortunately, there is still no effective vaccine against leishmaniasis. This is in part related to our lack of understanding of the factors that regulate immunologic memory; which is the ability of our defence system to recognize pathogens it has successfully dealt with by the development of cells called memory cells. Any effective vaccine should lead to the development of these memory cells that will protect vaccinated individuals upon subsequent exposure to the infectious agent (immunologic memory). This project will investigate the part a newly described cell population plays in the development and maintenance of immunologic memory in cutaneous leishmaniasis. Results from this study will extend our knowledge and understanding of the factors that regulate memory cell development in leismaniasis as well as other infectious diseases like HIV, malaria and will aid in the development of an effective vaccine against these diseases.