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On Thursday, November 28, 2024, the Institute of Parasitology gathered to celebrate the remarkable career and retirement of Professor Roger Prichard at Tadja Hall.

Professor Prichard joined º£½ÇÉçÇø in 1984 as a full Professor and Director of the Institute of Parasitology. Over the years, he held numerous leadership roles, including Dean of Graduate Studies and Vice-Principal (Research), overseeing significant expansions in º£½ÇÉçÇø's research initiatives and graduate programs.

Prof. Prichard’s contributions to research and mentorship are unparalleled. He is the most cited researcher globally on the drug ivermectin, and his efforts led to the creation of Canada’s first M.Sc. Applied in Biotechnology. He mentored over 70 graduate and postdoctoral trainees, leaving an enduring impact on the next generation of scientists, many of whom were present to celebrate Prof. Prichard's retirement.

Beyond academia, his vision helped secure funding for the modernization of the Institute’s facilities in the 1980s, solidifying its reputation as a world-class research hub. His accolades include being named James º£½ÇÉçÇø Professor in 2003 and Distinguished James º£½ÇÉçÇø Professor in 2024.

The retirement celebration was a heartfelt tribute to Prof. Prichard’s legacy, shared with his daughter, Cressida, and granddaughter, Gabrielle. His leadership and contributions will continue to inspire the º£½ÇÉçÇø and global scientific communities for years to come.

The Institute of Parasitology at º£½ÇÉçÇø is thrilled to announce the addition of two esteemed scholars to its academic faculty. Dr. Melisa Gualdron Lopez and Dr. Lucienne Tritten have recently joined as Assistant Professors, bringing a wealth of expertise and dedication to the field of parasitology.

Dr. Melisa Gualdron Lopez, a Venezuelan scientist, joins the institute with a background as a Research Associate in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. Her expertise lies in the study of parasitic protists, particularly Trypanosomes and Plasmodium parasites. Precisely, her research has been devoted to the study of host-parasite intercellular communication mediated by extracellular vesicles (EVs).
Driven by a goal to establish an independent research group in the EV field of parasitic diseases, Dr. Gualdron Lopez is specifically interested in understanding the functions and regulated secretion of EVs derived from parasites, fetal and maternal cells in the context of placental malaria and Congenital Chagas disease. Her ultimate aim is to develop EV-based therapeutics and diagnostics that can help to contribute to better disease control strategies in this vulnerable population.

Returning to the Institute of Parasitology, Dr. Lucienne Tritten brings with her a wealth of experience. Having spent nearly three years at the institute (2012-2015) conducting postdoctoral research under Prof. Timothy Geary's supervision, Dr. Tritten's dedication to tropical diseases research is profound.
With a background that includes being a Project Leader at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, University of Basel, and the University of Zurich, Switzerland, Dr. Tritten earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Basel in 2012. Her research focuses on the molecular cross-talk between parasitic nematodes and their hosts, emphasizing the roles played by helminth microRNAs and extracellular vesicles in host immunomodulation.
Through international collaborations spanning basic biology to applied research, Dr. Tritten's insights on disrupting the communication between parasite and host contribute significantly to the search for novel control strategies. Her work aligns with the institute's commitment to advancing knowledge for the betterment of human and animal health.
The Institute of Parasitology at º£½ÇÉçÇø eagerly anticipates the valuable contributions that Dr. Melisa Gualdron Lopez and Dr. Lucienne Tritten will make to the ongoing research and academic excellence.

º£½ÇÉçÇø today announced that 16 of its researchers, including Prof. Jianguo (Jeff) Xia of the Department of Animal Science/Institute of Parasitology, have been included on the Highly Cited Researchersâ„¢ (HCRs) list, as published by Clarivate. To be included in the prestigious list, researchers must rank in the top 1% worldwide for their fields and publications in the Web of Science index. In being named to this list, these º£½ÇÉçÇøians join a cohort of 6,849 individuals around the world who have all been recognized for their academic contributions.

Qian Liu, PhD, received the award for her project, Single-molecule interactions between Nipah virus and the interferon-induced transmembrane proteins. .

Please join the Macdonald Campus community in congratulating Qian Liu, Associate Professor in the Institute of Parasitology for her winning submission.
Dr. Liu's project will study Nipah virus to increase scientific understanding of how viruses infect cells and how the cell's innate immune defenses fight novel viral infections, knowledge which is critical to developing intervention strategies against emerging viral diseases. Nipah virus can be transmitted from animals to humans or from human to human and has a mortality rate of 40-70%. It is listed in the WHO blueprint priority diseases for research and development because of its epidemic potential and lack of countermeasures. This research will provide new insights into the subtle mechanisms of Nipah virus infection and interferon-induced transmembrane proteins, which restrict the virus' entry into our cells. Read more here.

Read the full article on The Globe and Mail's website by clicking , or view the PDF version here