Drug Resistance in Leishmania Parasites: Consequences, Molecular Mechanisms and Possible Treatments

Drug resistance is a fundamental factor in treatment failure in diseases like leishmaniasis, although additional factors also play a role in this phenomenon. This volume is the second edition of a well-received book that provides a comprehensive update on the pathology of the disease, as well as on the concept of parasitic drug resistance, its molecular basis, consequences and possible treatments. A valuable resource for scientists both from academia and industry involved in biomedical research and drug design, the book provides the knowledge needed to understand leishmaniasis and to contibute to combatting this disease worldwide.

About the Author

Maritza Padrón Nieves studied Biology at UCV in Caracas and became Magister Scientiarum in Pharmacology in 1993 and Doctor of Sciences in Pharmacology in 2011 in the same university. From 1994 to 2000 she was head of the Department of Basic Sciences at the School of Nursery, UCV. Currently she is Full Professor and head of the Human Pharmacology and Toxicology Chair, Faculty of Medicine, UCV. Initially her research interests were related to the comprehension of the mechanisms involved in digoxin intoxication. Since 2006 she has dedicated her scientific interest to the identification and characterization of molecular markers of resistance in the Leishmania sp. infection model.

Professor Dr. Alicia Ponte-Sucre

Alicia Ponte-Sucre studied Education in Biological Sciences at the Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas and became Magister Scientiarum in Physiology and Biophysics in 1981 at the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research and Doctor of Sciences in Pharmacology in 1993 at the UCV. She spent a year (1999-2000) at the University of Würzburg with a scholarship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and was a staff scientist (2003-2007) at the same university, within a multidisciplinary project from the German Research Council. Currently she is Full Professor in Human Physiology and Coordinator for Scientific Affairs of the Faculty of Medicine, UCV. Initially, her studies were focused on the physical-chemical behavior of black lipid membranes. Later, her scientific activity was oriented towards the characterization of receptors involved in air-way smooth muscle contraction. During the last 30 years her interests have been focused towards the study of parasite metabolism and membrane transporters essential for parasite survival and involved in drug resistance, and the mechanisms involved in cellular differentiation and parasite-host interaction in Trypanosomatids, but especially in the Leishmania model. Additionally she has characterized natural products and target oriented designed compounds as potential therapeutic agents against diseases produced by these parasites.