Jan Jarzabek

• CDT Doctoral Researcher Supervisor: Prof Paul Denny
• Email: jan.g.jarzabek@durham.ac.uk
• Project Title: From Bench to Field: Diagnostics for Leishmaniasis

Institution: Durham University

Project Title: Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica both account for a majority of the Cutaneous Leishmaniasis cases in the Old World, but while Leishmania major still responds to the WHO recommended treatment, Leishmania tropica increasingly displays drug resistance. LAMP is a nucleic acid amplification method which, due to primer design and the strand displacement activity of the Bst Polymerase which is used, is able to amplify DNA without the temperature cycle that PCR requires. This project aims to generate a LAMP assay to distinguish between the two subspecies, while also developing a cheap and user-friendly diagnostic device in order to perform the test in the field. Time permitting, the device will also be tested using clinical samples at the partner institution in Pakistan (ICCBS, Karachi).

Interesting Fact: When I got bored during lockdown, I learned to play The Entertainer on keyboard (I couldn't play it now though!)