The Parasites and Insect Vectors Department investigates the life cycle of parasites and their vectors. This research addresses global public health concerns and tackles the ongoing need for better prevention, control, and treatment. The department focuses its research on three key eukaryotic parasites responsible for severe diseases of major health and economic burden in most of the world’s regions: Plasmodium species, which cause malaria; Leishmania species, the causative agents of leishmaniasis; and Trypanosoma species, responsible for sleeping sickness. The Anopheles mosquito (the vector of Plasmodium and viruses) is also studied, as is the tsetse fly (the sleeping sickness vector). The department combines fundamental research on in vitro and in vivo models – including field work, particularly in Africa and Asia – with applied research, for example on the resistance of the malaria parasite to antimalarial drugs, and the identification of new antiparasitic drugs. Novel experimental models and tools are developed to help understand the dynamic interactions between these microorganisms and their hosts, identify the fundamental bases of parasitism and transmission by vectors, reveal host invasion mechanisms, and determine the virulence factors, pathology, and survival strategies of these organisms.
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About
Teams
Laboratory
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Biology of Host-parasite Interactions
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Artur Scherf
Platform
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Center for the Production and Infection of Anopheles
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Sabine Thiberge
Laboratory
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Malaria Parasite Biology and Vaccines
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Chetan Chitnis
Laboratory
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Molecular Parasitology and Signaling
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Gérald Spaeth
Laboratory
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Trypanosome Cell Biology
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Philippe Bastin
Laboratory
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Malaria Infection & Immunity
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Rogerio Amino
Laboratory
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Trypanosome Molecular Biology
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Lucy Glover
Laboratory
G5
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Parasite RNA Biology
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Sebastian Baumgarten
Laboratory
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Plasmodium Infection and Transmission
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Liliana Mancio Silva
Laboratory
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Spleen, Parasites & Infections
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Pierre Buffet
Associated teams
Group
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Microbiota of Insect Vectors
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Mathilde Gendrin
Laboratory
G5
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Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Analytics
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Michael White
Management
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Lucy Glover
Head of Structure
Director