Leishmaniasis News and Research

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Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease transmitted by the bite of infected sand flies. It is found in nearly 88 countries, from rain forests in Central and South America to deserts in the Middle East and west Asia. Some cases of the disease have also appeared in Mexico and Texas.

Leishmaniasis takes several different forms, including the most common cutaneous leishmaniasis, which causes skin sores, and the more severe visceral leishmaniasis, which affects internal organs such as the spleen, liver, and bone marrow. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 1.5 million new cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis and 500,000 new cases of visceral leishmaniasis in the world each year.

Study findings offer hope for the development of novel treatments for leishmaniasis

In an article published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil show how protozoans of the genus Leishmania that cause leishmaniasis manipulate a protein that plays an essential role in the organism's defense in order to continue to replicate, preventing the body from vanquishing the disease.

23 May 2023

Advancing the development of vaccines through recombinant technology

In this interview, News-Medical talks to Dr. Amy Sheng, the head of CRO at Sino Biological, about current developments in the field of vaccine development through recombinant techniques.

From Sino Biological Inc. 4 May 2023

A microbiota-driven mechanism underlies severity of leishmaniasis infection

In a recent study posed to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers in Brazil and the United States investigated the probable impact of the skin microbiome microbiota on the outcomes of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

8 Feb 2023

MALAT1 suppression is a hallmark of tissue and peripheral proliferative T cells in COVID-19

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers in the United Kingdom investigated lncRNA (long non-coding ribonucleic acids) expression in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) T lymphocyte transcriptomes.

10 Jan 2023

Nectar of common plants could be used to help fight Leishmania infections

The nectar of common plants such as sunflower contain bioactive agents that can inhibit the growth of Leishmania and could be used to help fight the potentially fatal disease caused by the parasite, say researchers.

2 Jun 2022

Study investigates the detection of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in urine

Researchers developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in urine samples.

19 May 2022

Nanotech imaging device shows potential to make disease diagnosis with smartphones

A nanotech imaging device, tiny enough to fit on a smartphone camera lens, has the potential to make the diagnosis of certain diseases accessible and affordable for people in rural and remote regions, say Australian scientists who developed it.

12 May 2022

Uncovering a new molecule that shows potential as antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas made when fossil fuels burn incompletely. It's also a silent killer.

29 Apr 2022

Mapping access to HIV care

In this interview, we speak to Professor Diego Cuadros about his latest research in which he mapped individuals' access to HIV care in Africa.

23 Dec 2021

WHO and Sanofi sign new agreement to sustain specific efforts to eliminate NTDs

The World Health Organization (WHO) and Sanofi – one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies – have signed a new agreement for donations of medicines to sustain specific efforts to eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

16 Dec 2021

COVID Moonshot receives key funding to accelerate drug discovery efforts

The COVID Moonshot, a non-profit, open-science consortium of scientists from around the world dedicated to the discovery of globally affordable and easily-manufactured antiviral drugs against COVID-19 and future viral pandemics has received key funding of £8 million from Wellcome, on behalf of the Covid-19 Therapeutics Accelerator.

28 Sep 2021

VALIDATE Network’s TB vaccine work receives $1.5 million funding boost

The Oxford-run VALIDATE Network has received $1.5 million in funding for its tuberculosis vaccine work from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

23 Aug 2021

Study: Neglecting development of therapeutics may repeat history and replicate vaccine inequality

A new policy report released today by the global non-profit research and development organization Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) highlights how the development of therapeutics has been relatively neglected in the global response to COVID-19 and warns that with the few treatment innovations available principally in high-income countries, we risk repeating history and replicating the vaccine inequality that has become a defining characteristic of this global pandemic.

6 Aug 2021

Zoonotic and vector-borne emerging tropical diseases pose a constant threat

A recent article published in the journal Frontiers in Tropical Diseases assessed the threat of emerging zoonotic and vector-borne tropical diseases.

26 May 2021

ANTICOV clinical trial to test new treatment for people with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in Africa

The ANTICOV clinical trial, conducted in 13 African countries, has started the recruitment of participants to test a new drug combination, nitazoxanide + ciclesonide, to treat people with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 before their cases become severe.

27 Apr 2021

Trial results show leishmaniasis vaccine is safe and induces immune responses in patients

The results of the first clinical trial of a new vaccine for a neglected tropical disease have demonstrated that it is safe and induces immune responses in patients with the infection.

15 Apr 2021

Study reveals arsenal used by protozoans to make leishmaniasis more severe

Researchers have succeeded in revealing the arsenal used by protozoans of the genus Leishmania in human cells to make leishmaniasis more severe, especially in cases of the mucocutaneous variety of the disease, which can cause deformations in patients.

24 Mar 2021

WHO issues new road map to tackle neglected tropical diseases

A new World Health Organization road map for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) proposes ambitious targets and innovative approaches to tackle 20 diseases which affect more than a billion mainly poor people and which thrive in areas where access to quality health services, clean water and sanitation is scarce.

1 Feb 2021

Researchers reach important milestone in leishmaniasis vaccine development

Researchers have taken an important step forward in developing a controlled human infection model to test leishmaniasis vaccines.

11 Jan 2021

Scientists decipher the structure of protein found in parasites that cause neglected tropical diseases

Brazilian researchers have managed to decipher the structure of a protein found in parasites that cause neglected tropical diseases, paving the way to the development of novel medications.

8 Jan 2021