Penn Vet Awarded ICIDR Grant to Study Leishmaniasis in Brazil
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
MEDIA ALERT
Contact: Kelly Stratton, 215.898.1475/610.554.7930/skell@vet.upenn.edu
Penn Vet Awarded ICIDR Grant to Study Leishmaniasis in Brazil
[November 17, 2010; Philadelphia, PA] – Dr. Phillip Scott, associate dean for research and professor of immunology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, was recently awarded an International Collaborations in Infectious Disease Research (ICIDR) grant, Myeloid-lineage cells and immunopathology in Leishmania braziliensis, by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), one of the 27 institutes and centers comprising the National Institutes of Health.
The 5-year grant will commence on December 1, 2010 with a total budget of more than $2.75M. It is the first ICIDR grant awarded to the University of Pennsylvania since the inception of the ICIDR grant more than 30 years ago and is one of only 12 awarded in 2010.
With these funds, researchers will gather fundamental information about myeloid-lineage cells (specifically monocytes and dendritic cells) present in people infected with Leishmania braziliensis, the species of Leishmania that causes a major zoonotic public health problem in Brazil. Leishmaniasis is a chronic protozoal infection causing severe morbidity throughout the world in people and animals. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the disease threatens 350 million people in 88 countries worldwide with an estimated 2 million new cases of leishmaniasis per year. Currently, WHO estimates there are 12 million people are currently infected with the disease worldwide.
Researchers will aim to use their findings in order to develop new treatments for leishmaniasis, as well as other inflammatory diseases. In addition, the study will determine if the relative frequency of certain monocyte subsets and/or their secreted products can serve as early predictive biomarkers of treatment success in leishmaniasis patients. If successful, such biomarkers will allow clinicians to rapidly move to more aggressive forms of treatment when needed.
The project involves collaborations between the University of Pennsylvania (Dr. Phillip Scott), the University of Maryland (Dr. David Mosser) and the Federal University of Bahia in Brazil (Dr. Edgar Carvalho). The field site for these studies is Corte de Pedra, Brazil, where leishmaniasis is endemic.
About the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine
Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine is one of the world’s premier veterinary schools. Founded in 1884, the school was built on the concept of Many Species, One MedicineTM.
Penn Vet researchers currently have the most National Institutes of Health grants of all vet schools in the country, attesting to the School’s strong basic and clinical research programs in infectious diseases, immunology, neuroscience, cancer, stem cell biology and more. For more information about the research at Penn Vet, visit www.vet.upenn.edu/Research.
The School’s Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital, located on Penn’s campus in Philadelphia, PA, houses classrooms, laboratories, medical care and one of the nation’s busiest urban veterinary emergency rooms. In addition, the school successfully integrates scholarship and scientific discovery with all aspects of veterinary medical education.
Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine is the only institution in the state of Pennsylvania graduating veterinarians accredited to care for food production animals. The large-animal facility, New Bolton Center, in Kennett Square, PA, encompasses hospital facilities for the care of horses and food animals as well as diagnostic laboratories serving the agriculture industry.
For more information about Penn Vet or its hospitals, visit www.vet.upenn.edu.
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Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine is one of the world's premier veterinary schools. Founded in 1884, the School was built on the concept of Many Species, One Medicine™. The birthplace of veterinary specialties, the School serves a distinctly diverse array of animal patients, from pets to horses to farm animals at our two campuses. In Philadelphia, on Penn's campus, are the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital for companion animals, as well as classrooms, laboratories and the School's administrative offices. The large-animal facility, New Bolton Center, in Kennett Square, Pa., encompasses hospital facilities for the care of horses and food animals as well as diagnostic laboratories serving the agriculture industry. The School has successfully integrated scholarship and scientific discovery with all aspects of veterinary medical education.
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