Research

From parasite biology to therapeutic targets.

Our program integrates molecular genetics, cell biology, biochemistry, infection models, and chemical biology to reveal how protozoan pathogens survive within their hosts — and how to stop them.

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Organelle Therapeutics

Protozoan parasites rely on specialized organelles to survive inside their hosts. The plant-like vacuole (PLVAC), also named food vacuole, act as digestion and recycling centers, breaking down host- and self-derived material to supply nutrients and manage stress. Mitochondria generate the energy parasites need to grow and replicate, while hydrogenosomes — a mitochondria-related organelle found in organisms like Histomonas and Trichomonas — provide an alternative energy pathway suited to low-oxygen environments. Because these organelles often function differently than their human counterparts, they represent promising, selective targets for new antiparasitic therapies that disrupt the parasite without harming the host.

Organelle biology
Omics strategies
Cell imaging
Molecular genetics
Biochemical techniques

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Nutrient Metabolism

Protozoan parasites depend on flexible metabolic pathways to extract energy and nutrients under the harsh, fluctuating conditions of the host environment. Heme metabolism supports iron-dependent processes and helps parasites manage oxidative stress, while glycolysis serves as a primary energy source, especially for parasites without full access to oxygen-based respiration. Byproducts like lactate can be further utilized to maximize energy yield, and autophagy and endocytosis allow parasites to engulf and recycle bacteria, starch, and other material from their surroundings for nutrition. Because these pathways are often structured differently than in humans, or are essential in ways host cells are not, they offer attractive targets for drugs designed to starve or destabilize the parasite.

Biochemistry
Metabolomics
Metabolic pathways
Autophagy
Endocytosis

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Drug Discovery and Vaccine Development

Our drug discovery efforts use high-throughput screening to test large compound libraries against cultured parasites, identifying candidates that block growth or survival. Parasites engineered to express luciferase allow rapid, quantitative readouts of drug effects across thousands of compounds, while qPCR-based assays measure parasite burden to confirm and refine promising hits. In parallel, we study parasite surface proteins as potential vaccine antigens, evaluating their ability to trigger protective immune responses — an approach used broadly across protozoan pathogens to develop new vaccines.

Animal health
Human health
Drug screening
Vaccines