Parasitology Laboratory

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

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