Mechanism of Action of Dapsone in Mycobacterium leprae
This project investigates a previously unknown mechanism of action of Dapsone in Mycobacterium leprae and decipher the strategies evolved by this bacterium to develop resistance.
Collaborating Laboratories
- Jackson Lab, Colorado State University Mycobacteria Research Laboratories, US
Current Funding
- Mechanism of action of Dapsone in Mycobacterium leprae – NIAID R21 AI175596
Monitoring Treatment Efficacy in Leprosy
Screening and optimization of drugs and drug combination regimens is complicated in the case of leprosy by the fact that the causative agent, Mycobacterium leprae, cannot be cultured in vitro. For similar reasons, treatment effectiveness in patients is currently assessed based on clinical examination of skin lesions at the end of the 6 or 12-month treatment putting the patients at risk of developing permanent disabilities. This project aims at developing reliable, sensitive and well-validated molecular methods allowing for the first time treatment effectiveness in patients and in preclinical models of drug efficacy testing to be assessed in real-time.
Collaborating Laboratories
- Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima, Bauru, Brazil
- Sorbonne University, Paris, France
- Centre National d’Appui à la lutte contre la Maladie (CNAM), Mali
Current Funding
- Monitoring Treatment Efficacy in Leprosy – NIAID R21 AI171254
- New molecular tools to measure M. leprae viability in clinical and mice samples – Fondation Raoul Follereau
- Integrated genomics and molecular tools to tackle leprosy transmission – The New York Community Trust – The Heiser Program for Research in Leprosy
Validation of the RLEP qPCR on the Biomeme
This project aims to validate a field-friendly qPCR system for the sensitive detection of M. leprae in clinical samples.
Collaborating Laboratories
- Dr. Sundeep Vedithi Chaitanya, Cambridge University, England
- Schieffelin Institute of Health Research, Karigari, India
Current Funding
- American Leprosy Mission
Molecular Epidemiology of Leprosy
The Avanzi and Jackson Lab conducts research on the two uncultivable leprosy agents, Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. We explore the genomic epidemiology of leprosy in the context of human-animal transmission and antibiotic resistance and develop molecular tools to detect the pathogens in clinical samples and simultaneously monitor response to treatment.
Collaborating Laboratories
- Jackson Lab, Colorado State University Mycobacteria Research Laboratories, US