Research Group:
Division of Cell & Molecular Biology
Prof G Rudenko
Applications accepted all year round
Trypanosomes are unicellular eukaryotes which cause African Sleeping Sickness, which is endemic to subSaharan Africa. Trypanosomes can be easily grown as suspension cell lines in the laboratory, where they are straightforward to manipulate and genetically modify.
The African trypanosome, Trypanosoma brucei, is transmitted among mammalian hosts by tsetse flies. These unicellular parasites cause sleeping sickness, also known as Human African Trypanosomiasis, which is typically fatal if left untreated, and the livestock disease known as nagana.
Through the study of protein structure, primarily using protein crystallography but also electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering, we aim to probe crucial biomolecular interactions central to a variety of diseases.
