Pedro Cravo, GHTM, IHMT-UNL
Despite the fact that tropical parasitic diseases account for a significant proportion of morbidity and mortality within the global realm of infectious diseases, new drugs and vaccines against these parasites have fallen short. The present availability of extensive curated genome data for most tropical disease-causing pathogens is providing unprecedented opportunities for tackling these infections. We are applying genomics and bioinformatics tools towards the discovery of new antiparasitic drugs through a strategy known as “drug repositioning” as well as for producing effective vaccines against different parasites, through “reverse vaccinology” approaches. The potential efficacy of these newly discovered drugs and/or vaccines is being evaluated experimentally in the “wet lab”.
Hostess: Patrícia Salgueiro