Parasitology Laboratory

The Parasitology Laboratory deals with innovative diagnostics and research in the field of human parasitosis. It is the Regional Reference e ricerca nel campo delle parassitosi umane ed è Riferimento Regionale for the diagnosis of leishmaniasis in humans. The laboratory is divided in two parts, located in two different halls: PAD 11, 3rd floor (where molecular activities are conducted) and PAD 20 3rd floor (first-class traditional methods).

Research areas:

  • The study and validation of innovative methods (in particular, molecular testing) for the diagnosis of leishmaniasis, malaria, and intestinal parasites.
  • Epidemiological studies (including molecular monitoring) of leishmaniasis in Emilia-Romagna from a One-Health perspective
  • Drug discovery studies for Leishmania
  • New strategies for the screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of blood protozoa in immune-compromised patients.

Teaching activity:

  • Internships for students in the degree programs for Medicine and Surgery or Biomedical Laboratory Techniques.
  • Training activities for post-graduate students specializing in Microbiology and Virology or Pathological Anatomy.

Instrumentation available:

  • Citofluorimeter FACS Calibur, Becton Dickinson (3 color)
  • PROMEGA MAXWELL MDx extractor
  • Thermal cycler Applied Biosystems QUANTSTUDIO 1
  • Thermal cycler ROTOR-GENE Q (Quiagen)
  • System ILLUMIPRO-10 for isothermal amplification (LAMP)
  • Freezer at -80°C
  • Incubator for parasitic cultures (28°C)
  • CO2 Incubator


Other basic laboratory instrumentation:

  • Refrigerator at 4° C and Freezer at -20°C
  • Bench-top entrifuge
  • Agitator
  • Washing system and reader for ELISA testsCappa Biohazard Faster BH-EN2004
  • Chemical fume hood DIAPATH
  • 4 optical microscopes

Principal Investigator

Team

Alessandra Mistral De Pascali

Junior assistant professor (fixed-term)

Tommaso Gritti

Research fellow

Giovanna Liguori

Area dei Funzionari - Settore scientifico - tecnologico

Collaborators:

Simone Baiocchi, laboratory technician grant-holder, team member

Margherita Ortalli, biologist LP, team member

Alessandeo Deni, medical doctor specializing in microbiology and virology, team member

How to reach us

IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria di Bologna

UOC Microbiologia, IRCCS Policlinico di Sant’Orsola Laboratorio e Studio PAD 11 Ala E e Laboratorio PAD 20