Smirlis Despina

Despina received her BSc in Biochemistry in 1993 in Biochemistry from Imperial College of Science and Technology, and her PhD, from University College London, University of London, in 2001. She had received a Welcome Trust Prize Studentship on Toxicology, and her PhD thesis on the hepatic metabolism of drugs, under the supervision of Prof. E.A Shephard.  Dr Smirlis had 2 post-doctoral appointments, the last of which was at Hellenic Pasteur Institute, under the guidance of Dr Soteriadou. After the postdoctoral appointments, she was appointed “commissioned researcher” in 2007. She was promoted to Junior Researcher in 2014 and in 2021 Principal Investigator. In 2015 Despina Smirlis took an educational leave, where she was trained in quantitative proteomics and host/pathogen interactions, until 2017. The main research activity of Despina Smirlis is focused on the study of the protozoan parasite Leishmania, a trypanosomatid parasite, the aetiological agent of a group of important neglected tropical diseases, termed leishmaniases that appear with manifestations ranging from cutaneous to visceral manifestations, the latter being the most serious.

The main research directions of her group (Molecular Parasitology) are the following:

1. Parasite signal transduction and molecules that affect the cell cycle, differentiation and infectivity of Leishmania
2. Drug discovery efforts for the treatment of leishmaniasis
3. Understanding complex epidemiological patterns, tropism the mechanisms of drug resistance by using Leishmania whole genome sequencing
4. Investigating the host-pathogen interface for treating leishmaniases

Despina Smirlis now is in charge for the National (Hellenic) Laboratory for leishmaniasis.  She >40 publications in international journals and books and has participated in National and International projects as a member, PI or coordinator in National and International projects. She has participated in a Workshop as an Instructor in Institute Pasteur of Iran, she has been as a Management Committee substitute member of Greece in two COST actions, she has been an invited speaker 3 times abroad (France and Brazil).