Grant: Project Grant

Leishmaniasis is one of the 17 neglected tropical diseases affecting close to 2 billion of the world's poorest populations. The disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania and transmitted to humans by the bite of infected sandflies. Leishmania can cause a broad spectrum of diseases, and in the worst cases leaving its victims disfigured for life or causing death. Public investment in prevention and treatment would decrease the burden of leishmaniasis and also help to alleviate poverty. However, there is currently no vaccine, treatments are limited, toxic, or ineffective due to resistance and the disease receives little attention from the media, pharma and international organizations. Following the sandfly bite, Leishmania replicates inside macrophages to cause disease. Intracellular development of the parasite relies entirely on posttranscriptional regulatory networks that control the expression of thousands of genes in a dynamic manner and are crucial to the parasite's ability to establish disease. My laboratory is at the leading edge of research in the field of Leishmania gene regulation and has made major contributions that significantly advanced knowledge in this area. We have also pioneered the development of various genetic tools that helped advancing the Leishmania field and are largely used by the community. This research proposal aims to expand on our previous innovative work to push the boundaries of fundamental knowledge of posttranscriptional regulation controlling mRNA abundance and translation rates in response to environmental stimuli within the host macrophage. Outputs from this research program could lead to the identification of promising targets for the development of novel therapeutic strategies against this important human pathogen, hence impacting the health sector. It will also contribute to Canada's global health efforts and to the creation of jobs and training of highly qualified personnel.