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IMMUNOLOGY


Previous research results
The Parasite Disease Group research the molecular and functional characterization of Leishmania virulence factors, molecules and processes involved in the biological events leading to the infection progression and immunopathology aiming to the identification of new attractive Leishmania therapeutic targets Some major observations could be summarized as follows:


  • Cell communication by leishmania microvesicles

  • Drugs against neglected parasitic diseases

  • Application of an improved elisa method for the serological diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis


    Research Area Coordinator: Anabela Cordeiro | Email: cordeiro@ff.up.pt


    Project support:

    2014-2018
    - “Clinical Studies on a Multivalent Vaccine for Human Visceral Leishmaniasis” HEALTH.2013.2.3.0-1: Innovation in vaccines. FP7-HEALTH-2013-INNOVATION-1.

    - COST Action CM1307: Targeted chemotherapy towards diseases caused by endoparasites.

    - COST Action BM1202: European network on microvesicls and exosomes in Health and Disease (ME-HAD)

    2014-2017
    - “New Medicines for Trypanosomatidic Infections”.
    - HEALTH.2013.2.3.4-2: Drug development for neglected parasitic diseases.
    - FP7- HEALTH-2013-INNOVATION-1

    2013-2016
    - “Kinetoplastid Drug Development: strengthening the preclinical pipeline”. HEALTH.2013.2.3.4-2: Drug development for neglected parasitic diseases.
    - FP7- HEALTH-2013-INNOVATION-1

    2012-2015
    - Project (PTDC/BIA-MC/11866/2011) “Cell communication by Leishmania microvesicles”


    Cell communication by leishmania microvesicles

    Our research project will use the knowhow acquired over the last few years in the group to accomplish concise and specific goals concerning the importance of MVs in parasite-parasite communication and parasite-host interaction. In that sense, the current project will encompass the following objectives:

    1. Characterization of Leishmania infantum MVs. This will be accomplished by parasite culture in a defined specific media developed by our group that enables the continuous growth of parasites in the absence of serum.
    2. Mechanisms of the fusion process with the host cell.
    3. MVs as mediators of parasite-parasite communication.
    4. Importance of MVs in parasite-host cell interaction. An approach similar to the previous task will be used to confirm Parasite-Host interaction.


      Relevant publications:

    • Abortive T follicular helper development is associated with a defective humoral response in Leishmania infantum-infected macaques.
      Rodrigues V, Laforge M, Campillo-Gimenez L, Soundaramourty C, Correia-de-Oliveira A, Dinis-Oliveira RJ, Ouaissi A, Cordeiro-da-Silva A, Silvestre R, Estaquier
      J. PLoS Pathog. Apr 24;10(4):e1004096. 2014
      doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004096. eCollection 2014 Apr.

    • Impairment of T cell function in parasitic infections.
      Rodrigues V, Cordeiro-da-Silva A, Laforge M, Ouaissi A, Akharid K, Silvestre R, Estaquier
      J. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. Feb 13;8(2):e2567. 2014
      doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002567.

    • Leishmania-infected MHC class II high dendritic cells polarize CD4+ T cells toward a nonprotective T-bet+ IFN-γ+ IL-10+ phenotype.
      Resende M, Moreira D, Augusto J, Cunha J, Neves B, Cruz MT, Estaquier J, Cordeiro-da-Silva A, Silvestre R.
      J Immunol. Jul 1;191(1):262-73. 2013
      doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1203518. Epub 2013 May 31.

    • Characterization of the biology and infectivity of Leishmania infantum viscerotropic and dermotropic strains isolated from HIV+ and HIV- patients in the murine model of visceral leishmaniasis.
      Cunha J, Carrillo E, Sánchez C, Cruz I, Moreno J, Cordeiro-da-Silva A.
      Parasit Vectors. Apr 26;6:122. 2013
      doi: 10.1186/1756-3305-6-122.

    • Exoproteome dynamics in Leishmania infantum.
      Santarém N, Racine G, Silvestre R, Cordeiro-da-Silva A, Ouellette M.
      J Proteomics. Jun 12;84:106-18. 2013
      doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2013.03.012.



    Drugs against neglected parasitic diseases

    The trypanosomatid diseases, Leishmaniasis, Human African trypanosomiasis and Chagas disease, continue to impart a heavy toll on human health, affecting millions of people worldwide, particularly those living in the economically poorest countries.

    The handful of treatments available to control this enormous heath burden is limited by serious adverse effects, high costs, difficulties in administration and the ever advancing spectre of drug resistance. Whilst several drug candidates are under review at the preclinical trials stage, the pipeline remains sparse. There has been general market inertia to translate recent scientific and technological advances into the discovery of potent, safe drug candidates against this devastating group of protozoan parasites.

    The KINDReD consortium has been drawn together from academia and industry to strengthen and advance the current drug development pipeline. Our ambition is to bring much needed new drug candidates through the preclinical development process with the ultimate aim of gaining regulatory approval for initial phase I clinical trials for each of disease.


    http://kindred-fp7.com/


    -New medicines for trypanosomatidic infections-

    The infectious diseases burden imposed by the parasites of Trypanosomatidae family represents a huge problem on people’s lives in countries where diseases are endemic. Problems associated with existing drugs include inefficient delivery, insufficient efficacy, excessive toxicity and increasing resistance. New drugs are urgently needed.

    The project uses a highly interdisciplinary approach to optimize pteridine, benzothiazoleand miltefosine derivatives as well as natural products against Trypanosomatids.

    Health FP7 2013-2016 NMTrypl


    -Clinical Studies on a Multivalent Vaccine for Human Visceral Leishmaniasis-

    The World Health Organisation in its report on Neglected Tropical Diseases has stated that there is overwhelming evidence to show that the burden caused by many of the 17 diseases that affect more than 1billion people worldwide can be effectively controlled and, in many cases, eliminated or even eradicated.

    Leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania spp is one of them and poses a grave health risk to an estimated 350 million people across the world. Among the three clinical patterns of Leishmaniasis (cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral), Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala azar is the most severe in terms of symptoms and clinical complications. If left untreated, the disease can have a fatality rate as high as 100%.

    Only few drugs are available in the foreseeable future for treating patients from this disease. The development of a human vaccine against Leishmania is an achievable goal. In endemic areas, the majority of infected persons do not develop clinical symptoms and past infection leads to robust immunity against reinfection.

    In our approach, we mimic a natural infection cycle of Leishmania, by introducing the recombinant protein LJM11 from the sand fly saliva and two other components of Leishmania infantum based on well proven effective recombinant proteins from Leishmania: KMP11 and a recombinant fusion protein SMT-NH. These components will be formulated with a strong TLR4 agonist, already tested in humans, to enhance and modulate the immune response. This innovative vaccine will be tested at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, which already has experience in conducting clinical trials with Leishmania vaccines.

    The phase I/II clinical trial will be immunologically monitored by experienced institutions from EU and US. A European SME would have most of the benefits of this project: it would allow to further develop a vaccine against this neglected disease and increase the possibility to out-license this vaccine for commercialization.


    Health FP7 2013-2018 MuLeVaClin


    https://cordis.europa.eu/wire/index.cfm?fuseaction=article.Detail&rcn=41668

      Relevant publications:

    • Crucial CD8+ T-lymphocyte cytotoxic role in amphotericin B nanospheres efficacy against experimental visceral leishmaniasis.
      Costa Lima SA, Silvestre R, Barros D, Cunha J, Baltazar MT, Dinis-Oliveira RJ, Cordeiro-da-Silva A.
      Nanomedicine. Jan 8. pii: S1549-9634(14)00003-3. 2014
      doi: 10.1016/j.nano.2013.12.013. [Epub ahead of print]

    • Knockdown of asparagine synthetase A renders Trypanosoma brucei auxotrophic to asparagine.
      Loureiro I, Faria J, Clayton C, Ribeiro SM, Roy N, Santarém N, Tavares J, Cordeiro-da-Silva A.
      PLoS Negl Trop Dis. Dec 5;7(12):e2578. 2013
      doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002578. eCollection 2013 Dec. Erratum in: PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2013;7(12). doi:10.1371/annotation/eb4faa32-fc8d-43ae-ba92-f34c0c4e5052.

    • The impact of distinct culture media in Leishmania infantum biology and infectivity.
      Santarém N, Cunha J, Silvestre R, Silva C, Moreira D, Ouellette M, Cordeiro-DA-Silva A.
      Parasitology. Feb;141(2):192-205. 2014
      doi: 10.1017/S0031182013001388.

    • Characterization and evaluation of BNIPDaoct-loaded PLGA nanoparticles for visceral leishmaniasis: in vitro and in vivo studies.
      Costa Lima SA, Resende M, Silvestre R, Tavares J, Ouaissi A, Thoo Lin PK, Cordeiro-da-Silva A.
      Nanomedicine (Lond). Dec;7(12):1839-49. 2012

    • In vitro evaluation of bisnaphthalimidopropyl derivatives loaded into pegylated nanoparti-cles against Leishmania infantum protozoa.
      Costa Lima S, Rodrigues V, Garrido J, Borges F, Kong Thoo Lin P, Cordeiro da Silva A.
      Int J Antimicrob Agents. May;39(5):424-30. 2012




    Application of an improved elisa method for the serological diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis

    Another topic of the investigations conducted by the team concerns the improvement of diagnostic tools. We reported a strategy of using well-defined Leishmania antigens, which proved to be a sensitive and specific improvement to current serological diagnosis of CanL, being a useful tool for the detection of both clinical and subclinical forms of canine Leishmania infection.

      Relevant publications:

    • Development of a fluorescent based immunosensor for the serodiagnosis of canine leishmaniasis combining immunomagnetic separation and flow cytometry.
      Sousa S, Cardoso L, Reed SG, Reis AB, Martins-Filho OA, Silvestre R, Cordeiro da Silva A.
      PLoS Negl Trop Dis. Aug 22;7(8):e2371. 2013
      doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002371.

    • Application of an improved enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method for serological diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis.
      Santarém N, Silvestre R, Cardoso L, Schallig H, Reed SG, Cordeiro-da-Silva A.
      J Clin Microbiol. May;48(5):1866-74. 2010

    • Evaluation of Leishmania species reactivity in Human serological diagnostic of leishmaniasis.
      Silvestre R, Santarém N., Teixeira L., Cunha J., Schallig H., Cordeiro-da-Silva A.
      Am J Trop Med Hyg. Aug;81(2):202-8. 2009

    • Serological evaluation of experimentally infected dogs by LicTXNPx-ELISA and amastigote-flow cytometry.
      Silvestre R, Santarém N, Cunha J, Cardoso L, Nieto J, Carrillo E, Moreno J, Cordeiro-da-Silva A.
      Vet Parasitol. Nov 25;158(1-2):23-30. 2008

    • Antibodies against a Leishmania infantum peroxiredoxin as a possible marker for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis and for monitoring the efficacy of treatment.
      Santarém N, Tomás A, Ouaissi A, Tavares J, Ferreira N, Manso A, Campino L, Correia, J M and Cordeiro-da-Silva, A
      Immunology Letters, 101, 18-23. 2005

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