Understanding the interplay of Leishmania and host immune cells
Leishmaniasis is a disfiguring, debilitating and often lethal disease prevalent in the tropics. Unlike most pathogens, the Leishmaniaparasite co-opts the immune cells thereby subverting the immune response. A deeper understanding of the interplay between the parasite and host cells not only aims to unravel the evolutionary to-and-fro between host and pathogens but also provides a deeper understanding of the host defense mechanisms. Identification of novel immune pathways can then be explored for various human conditions, for example, inflammatory disorders. To unravel the interaction between the pathogens and immune cells, we have generated and characterized novel fluorescent Leishmania major parasites compatible with cutting-edge intravital, multiphoton microscopy. The new strains permit us to unravel host-pathogen interactions in real time at single cell resolution, laying bare the complex host-pathogen interactions
People involved in the project: Rohit Jain, Shweta Tikoo, Dörte Symmank, Chandna Panwar