UK:Brazil Joint Centre Partnership in leishmaniasis

Posted on 1 April 2019

A new £2.3m three-year Newton project will be led by Professor Jeremy Mottram, Director of York Biomedical Research Institute (YBRI), and Professor Angela Cruz of the Ribeirão Preto Medical School.

The project is funded by the Medical Research Council and FAPESP, a Brazilian funding agency.

Collaborative project

The UK:Brazil Joint Centre Partnership in Leishmaniasis (JCPiL) is a large collaborative project between UK universities (York, Durham and Glasgow) and universities in Brazil (University of São Paulo, University of Rio de Janeiro and Federal University of Piaui).

Researchers within YBRI's Immunology, Haematology and Infection theme will work together to drive this project forward, including Professor Jeremy Mottram, Dr Daniel Jeffares, Dr Michael Plevin and Dr Pegine Walrad (Department of Biology, York) and Dr Dimitris Lagos Professor Paul Kaye (Hull York Medical School).

Visceral leishmaniasis

In Brazil, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe form of the disease and is caused by transmission of the protozoan parasite Leishmania infantum by sand flies. This leads to ~3,500 cases a year with ~10% deaths.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is also a significant public health concern, with Leishmania braziliensis being the most prevalent species.

New partnerships

The JCPiL will fund five interrelated projects and three workshops to promote research at the interface of basic and clinical science, extend existing collaborations between UK and Brazil and develop new partnerships and interdisciplinary ways of working.