Fieldable diagnostic tools and strategies
The Experimental Parasitology group conducts research in the field of development, evaluation and implementation of diagnostic tests and interventions, resistance, drug development, epidemiology and transmission models.
Research into biomarker discovery has recently been added to our portfolio. Application in resource limited settings is paramount in test development and implementation. Our work is not limited to the laboratory, but we also conduct clinical trials and research in endemic areas. We also contribute to policy development and local capacity building in low and middle income countries.
The diseases we work on are malaria (with a focus on malaria in pregnancy) and undifferentiated fevers, neglected tropical diseases, including leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis, and diarrhoea-causing diseases (cryptosporidiosis).
The group, fully depending on external funding, has successfully secured funding from organisations such as EU, WHO, ZoN-MW, WOTRO, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND, Geneva, Switzerland), European Developing Countries Clinical Trial Partnership (EDCTP), Industry and Private funders.
Research team
Henk Schallig, PhD
Principal Investigator, Parasitologist
Dr. H. Schallig is a trained parasitologist with ample knowledge of immunology and molecular biology. He is accredited by the National Committee for Medical-Biological Research Training in the Netherlands (SMBWO) as Medical-Biological Scientific Researcher and Educator/PhD supervisor in Parasitology and Scientific Researcher Medical Microbiology.
His research is focused on development, evaluation and implementation of diagnostic tools and strategies, on drug efficacy and resistance studies in parasitic diseases, and currently further expanding into undifferentiated fevers. He works in close collaboration with renowned research institutes and hospitals in disease endemic countries, in Africa and South America.
Transfer of knowledge and capacity building are intrinsic to Dr. Schallig’s activities and he has built up extensive experience in training and conducting workshops. Numerous technicians, MSc and PhD students from the Netherlands as well as from developing countries have been trained by him and his group. He has over 200 publications in peer reviewed journals.
- Jaap Bezemer MD – PhD student working in Ecuador on the diagnosis, clinical management and disease experience of (muco)-cutanoues leishmaniasis in indigenous populations
- Joseph Bitilinyu MSc – PhD student unravelling the transmission mechanisms of diarrheal diseases in Malawi with a focus on cryptosporidiosishier content
- Massa Bonko MSc – PhD student, studying the aetiologies, management and emerging drug resistance of febrile diseases in Burkina Faso
- Norbert van Dijk – molecular biologist, responsible for development of new diagnostics for malaria and leishmaniasis; studies malaria-leishmaniasis co-infections in Sudan.
- Moussa Djimde MD – PhD student (Mali), studying immunological aspects of malaria during pregnancy.
- Dawit Hagos MSc – PhD student (Ethiopia) working on the improved diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis
- Japhet Kabalu MSc – PhD student (DRC), working on the diagnosis and management of malaria in resource limited settings.
- Dr. Petra Mens – senior scientist, head of malaria research, molecular biologist, supervisor of PhD students and responsible scientist for GMO activities
- Sandra Menting MSc – senior research technician, responsible for all operational lab activities, expert in molecular biology
- Lizzy van Noord – research technician analysing the treatment responses of kala azar patients in East Africa
- Dr. Sahiensa Ramdas – medical anthropologist, studying stigma and health care seeking behaviour in particular in the field of neglected tropical diseases
- Mohammed Salmi – research technician working on the analysis of malaria vaccine effectivity and safety
- Tewelde Tesfaya MSc – PhD student (Ethiopia), studying the (molecular) epidemiology and diagnosis of arbo viruses and malaria in rural settings.
- Martijn Vink MD, MPH – PhD student performing health system research in fragile states, in particular Afghanistan
- Wende Yeshaneh MD, MPH – PhD student (Ethiopia) working on clinical management of neglected skin diseases, in particular scabies and podoconiosis.
- Henk Schallig received the PAREL award from ZoN-MW for his research on the development of antimicrobial resistance in developing counties and innovative approaches to improve diagnosis of febrile diseases.
- Henk Schallig featured in: Janus #1 (2021): p42-43.
- A diagnostic product developed and manufactured by the Experimental Parasitology group has been placed on the essential diagnostics list of the World Health Organization.
- Together with research groups in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and The Gambia we received two EDCTP funded research projects to improve the diagnosis of Covid-19 in Africa.
- Wolday, D., Tasew, G., Amogne, Urban, B., Schallig, H.D., Harris, V. & Rinke de Wit, T. (2021). Interrogating the impact of intestinal parasite-microbiome on pathogenesis of COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Frontiers in Microbiology 12: 614522.
- Bonko, M.A., Lompo, P., Tahita, M.C., Kiemde, F., Karama, I., Some, A.M., Mens, P.F., Menting, S., Tinto, H. & Schallig, H.D.F.H. (2021). Antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumonia isolated from the nasopharynx of febrile children under 5 years in Nanoro, Burkina Faso. Antibiotics 10: 444.
- Bezemer, J.M., Ende, J. van der, Limpens, J., Vries, H.J.C. de & Schallig, H.D.F.H. (2021). Safety and efficacy of allylamines in the treatment of cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis: a systematic review. PLoS ONE 16(4): e0249628.
- Cardoso, L., Schallig, H., Persichetti, M.F. & Pennisi, M.G. (2021). New epidemiological aspects of animal leishmaniosis in Europe: the role of vertebrate hosts other than dogs. Pathogens 10: 307.
- Natama, H.M., Rovira-Vallbona, E., Krit, M., Guetens, P., Sorgho, H., Some, A., Traore-Coulibaly, N., Valea, I., Mens, P.F., Schallig, H.D.F.H., Berkvens, D., Kerstens, L., Tinto, H. & Rosanas-Urgell, A. (2021). Genetic variation in the immune system and malaria susceptibility in infants: a nested case-control study in Nanoro, Burkina Faso. Malaria Journal 20: 94.
- Verrest, L., Kip, A.E., Musa, A., Schoone, G.J., Schallig, H.D.F.H., Mbui, J., Khalil, E.A.G., Younis, B.M., Olobo, J., Were, L., Kimutai, R., Monnerat, S., Cruz, I., Wasunna, M., Alves, F. & Dorlo, T.P.C. (2021). Blood parasite load as an early marker to predict treatment response in visceral leishmaniasis in Eastern Africa. Clinical and Infectious Diseases, 13 Feb. 2021, on-line publication ahead of print.
More publications can be found here
Dr. H.D.F.H. Schallig
Email: h.d.schallig@amsterdamumc.nl