Date: 17 December 2025
Time: 14:00-16:00
Location: ZOOM & SALA CAMBOURNAC
Leishmaniasis remains one of the world’s most neglected tropical diseases, affecting both humans and animals. Caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, this infection continues to pose substantial public health challenges due to costly treatments, limited therapeutic options, and the growing emergence of drug-resistant strains.
In this session, two complementary research axes that contribute to a deeper understanding of the disease and the development of innovative therapeutic alternatives will be explored. The first line of research focuses on the intricate relationship between Leishmania parasites and host macrophages, shedding light on key cellular and molecular mechanisms that sustain infection. The second line highlights the identification and evaluation of novel bioactive molecules with potential antileishmanial properties, aiming to expand the current therapeutic arsenal.
About Lúcia Pinto da Silva
Lúcia Pinto da Silva is a Full Professor of Immunology in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ) and an ordinary member of the Brazilian Society of Protozoology. She holds a PhD in Sciences (Microbiology) from the Paulo de Góes Microbiology Institute at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). During her doctoral studies, she spent three months at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), NICHD – Section of Intercellular Interactions, where she trained in ex-vivo lymphoid tissue cell culture. She later completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Brazilian National Cancer Institute, focusing on apoptotic mimicry and its role in macrophage immunomodulation. Her research interests include parasite–host interactions, with emphasis on leishmaniasis, macrophage immunomodulation, and the evaluation of natural and synthetic compounds with leishmanicidal and immunomodulatory activities.
If you are a GHTM member, you will receive the details of the session by e-mail. If you are not a GHTM member and would like to join the session, please contact us at ghtm-info@ihmt.unl.pt.