Research into leishmaniasis is hampered by a serious lack of funding. The award of a small grant ($100,000) by the Gates Foundation to scientists at Colorado State University is therefore to be welcomed. The aim is to develop a vaccine system that attacks the saliva of the sand flies responsible for transmission of the disease.

The research will focus on a compound found in the saliva of sand flies called maxadilan, which CSU scientists have already shown to amplify the impact of the parasites that cause leishmaniasis. Although maxadilan exists only in sand flies, the concept that saliva plays an important role in the spread of infectious diseases carried by insects may be applicable to other insect-borne diseases. If researchers can discover a way to turn off the effect of saliva in an infectious insect bite, the knowledge could be applied to help develop a cheap vaccine. The vaccine could be given to humans for protection, making them resistant to maxadilan and other saliva-borne amplifiers, or to animals, which would indirectly protect humans.

It is also gratifying to see that the Gates Foundation, which has most often focused on HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria giving support in this area.

Further details are given in a CSU press release.