Welcome to the Parasitology Unit at the Centre for Infectious Diseases
Parasitology is a science at the heart of clinical medicine, epidemiology, immunology, molecular biology and biochemistry.
It deals with some of the most important infectious diseases of mankind.
Parasitology has the potential to help us understand questions regarding the complexity of life and the interactions between different species.
Parasitology may provide the tools to alleviate the suffering of millions of people stricken by parasites.
Prof. Michael Lanzer, Ph. D.
Current Highlights
Prize for V. Ingham
(22 June 2023)
We are proud and happy to announce that our group leader Victoria Ingham has been awarded this year's Junior Researcher Prize, endowed with 25,000 €, from the Manfred Lautenschläger Foundation.
The first junior researcher prize was awarded in 2018. Eligible for selection are habilitation candidates, junior research group leaders or junior professors who can show outstanding scientific achievement and particularly innovative research approaches. The prize money is meant to promote these young researchers in their personal scientific development and to support their research activity.
The official award ceremony took place on 22 June in the Great Hall of the Old University in the presence of the sponsor M. Lautenschläger, the rector of Heidelberg University (Prof. Eitel), the previous awardees (Prof. Monyer [Research Prize 2021]) and Junior Prof. F. Joos [Junior Researcher Prize 2021]) as well as close colleagues participating in a scientific discussion (among others our departmental head Prof. Lanzer).
BioMalPar XIX
(23-25 May 2023, EMBL, Heidelberg)
The conference series brings malaria researchers from around the world to present and share recent ground-breaking findings on fundamental malaria research in an integrated and highly collaborative environment. BioMalPar XIX, co-organized by our group leader Markus Ganter, showcased the multidisciplinary nature of malaria research with a programme that welcomed clinical malaria, epidemiological studies, immunology, and evolution and ecology alongside core BioMalPar topics. The programme focused on early-mid career researchers to help mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which have been particularly acute for these stages.
Funding for V. Ingham
(April 2023)
Our group leader Victoria Ingham has gained prestigious funding by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the investigation of a potential dual effect of a new insecticide for mosquito nets. The active agent chlorfenapyr could help control vector mosquitoes and malaria parasites at the same time and prevent resistance.
Mosquito nets treated with insecticides are currently the most important method of combating malaria. Experts estimate that the decrease in malaria infections over the last 20 years is largely due to these bed nets. However, mosquitoes are becoming increasingly resistant to the insecticides used in the nets. "Mosquito nets treated with chlorfenapyr are a new tool that can significantly improve the global fight against malaria", says our group leader.