Molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptation of Leshmania to purine stress

Leishmania are the causative agent of leishmaniasis, a disease with many forms, the most severe of which is ultimately fatal if left untreated. Unfortunately, no vaccine is available, and resistance is emerging to currently employed therapeutics, many of which are costly and difficult to administer. Because the parasite must respond and adapt to a number of environmental insults throughout its lifecycle, including nutrient scarcity, inhibiting its mechanisms of adaptation is an attractive area for chemotherapeutic intervention. My thesis research focuses on the molecular mechanisms that allow Leishmania to persist in a non-dividing, but metabolically active, quiescent-like state for months in the absence of an extracellular purine—a nutrient essential for growth.