Leishmania

Leishmania are unicellular pharmaceutical parasites found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. They are responsible for a number of serious human and animal diseases, including Leishmaniasis, a debilitating and sometimes fatal form of the disease. Leishmania can also infect domesticated animals such as cattle and canines, leading to significant economic losses for livestock producers. In laboratory-based research, Leishmania have shown great potential for use in the generation of novel pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines, diagnostics and other biotechnology applications. Therefore, the study of Leishmania is an important research topic for biomedical and biotechnological advancement.