Prof. Abhay R. Satoskar of Ohio State University was invited by West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine to give a lecture entitled “Development of novel the rapies and a vaccine against leishmaniasis” in the lecture hall ofYifu Basic Medical BuildingOn the morning of May 17th,2019. Over 100 faculties and students attended the lecture.This lecture was chaired by Prof. Changlong Li, the Party Secretary of West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine.
Prof. Satoskar briefly introduced the prevalence, the current research advance and the rapeutic drugs of Leishmaniasis. His research group isolated a chemical constituent (named as “PEN”) with significant anti-leishmania activity from the rhizome ofPentalinon and rieuxii, which was found in the tropical rainforest of Yucatan in Mexico. They found that PEN and its derivatives might be a novel promising compound for the treatment leishmaniasis.
Prof. Satoskarthen introduced another study regarding the new vaccines for leishmaniasis. By collaborating with Prof. Nakhasi, he found that theCentringene played an essential role in the replication and survival ofLeishmania Donovani.Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editin gapproach, they knock-downed theCentringeneinLeishmania major(LmCen-/-) and found that immunized LmCen-/-could provide immune protection against theLeishmania majorand theLeishmania Donovani, suggesting that LmCen-/-may be a new attenuated vaccine against Leishmania.
The attendees discussed enthusiastically with Prof. Satoskar after his lecture.Finally, Prof. Jianping Chen, the Director of the Department of Pathogenic Biology, appreciated Prof. Satoskar for his visit and excellent lecture.
Invited speaker profile
Abhay R.Satoskar is the professor of Ohio State University (USA), the Vice President of the Wexner Medical Center (USA) and a visiting professor at School of Medicine, Nagasaki University(Japan). Prof. Satoskar focuses on investigating new therapeutic strategies and vaccines for Leishmaniasis, and has made significant research progress in the mechanisms of interaction between Leishmania and host cells. He is also a member of the American Society of Immunology and Microbiology. Prof. Satoskar has published numerous papers in top journals includingLancet, PNAS, Nat Immunol, and Nat Commun.