The DFG is providing 2.2 million euros in funding for Tom Beneke’s new Emmy Noether Junior Research Group at the University of Würzburg. He is investigating how Leishmania parasites transmitted by sand flies spread throughout the body. Immune cells play a central role, as they are used as “taxis” by the tropical parasites.
Leishmania are single-celled pathogens found in the tropics and subtropics, as well as in countries around the Mediterranean. They can be transmitted to humans, as well as to dogs and other animals, through the bite of sand flies. Some Leishmania parasites cause skin ulcers at the bite site, while others primarily infect the liver and spleen—a condition that, if left untreated, is fatal in more than 95 percent of cases.
Why some of these parasites remain localized while others spread throughout the body is one of the unresolved questions in infectious disease biology. However, research findings by Tom Beneke, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Würzburg’s Biozentrum, indicate that the parasites establish themselves in phagocytes of the immune system, which constantly patrol the body. Leishmania parasites therefore do not move through their hosts’ bodies on their own but instead use immune cells to their advantage during their migration—and this varies from species to species.
“This is all the more remarkable given that the genomes of Leishmania species that remain localized in the skin differ only slightly from those of species that spread throughout the body,” said Tom Beneke. The researcher therefore suspects that the differences in the pathogens’ behavior are caused by variations in individual genes. He aims to identify these variations using new genetic technologies that he has developed specifically for Leishmania research.
Tom Beneke now intends to clarify, as part of the new Emmy Noether Research Group “LeishMove,” exactly how the parasites control their host cells and which variations in Leishmania are necessary for this process. The German Research Foundation (DFG) has awarded him approximately 2.2 million euros to establish the group. The project will begin on September 1, 2026, and run for six years.
Worldwide, up to one million people are infected each year with this neglected tropical disease. Thousands die, yet unfortunately there is little commercial interest in developing new drugs. At the same time, resistance problems are on the rise, there is no approved vaccine for humans, and the available therapies are often associated with significant side effects.
In the long term, his research could help develop new therapeutic approaches to leishmaniasis and significantly improve the treatment of the disease.