Our 'Spotlight on' series showcases the world-leading work of our academics. Professor Paul Denny in our Department of Biosciences is dedicated to developing new therapies and diagnostics for parasitic diseases that affect over a billion people worldwide.
Watch our video with Paul, and read more about his career and research below.
Paul’s career has been shaped by a curiosity about life’s smallest forms.
After an undergraduate degree in microbiology, Paul’s PhD focused on the protozoan pathogen Toxoplasma gondii. His work examined the unusual features of this widespread parasite and identified drug targets that scientists continue to investigate today.
It also sparked a desire to not only understand how parasites evolved but help the people they harm.
A post-doctoral position introduced Paul to Leishmania, a protozoan parasite spread by sandflies that causes the Neglected Tropical Disease leishmaniasis.
Over 1 million new cases of leishmaniasis are reported annually, although chronic underreporting means the true figure is likely much higher.
The disease ranges from fatal infections of the liver and spleen to disfiguring skin conditions that can leave permanent scarring and often leads to severe social exclusion.
Seeing first-hand the profound impact these parasitic diseases have on communities across the world, set the course for Paul’s career.
As Professor of Protozoan Biology in our Biosciences Department, Paul leads research on parasites that affect some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.
His group focuses on two types of protozoan parasites of global concern: Toxoplasma and Leishmania.
Protozoan parasites have complex lifecycles and rely on hosts to survive, which makes them challenging to treat. They cause some of the world’s most devastating diseases yet remain significantly overlooked.
Addressing these gaps is central to Paul’s work.
His team explores how these organisms interact with human and animal hosts, and how these interactions can reveal potential new drug targets and how biological understanding can lead to new diagnostic tools.
Paul’s research is inherently international, reflecting the global nature of parasitic disease.
His team works with international partners to develop diagnostics and other new approaches to disease control.
Paul credits Durham’s collaborative culture with helping progress this work faster. Here his research group works with engineers and chemists, in ways that might be difficult at other institutions.
This cross-disciplinary collaboration is enabling rapid innovative diagnostic technologies for both Leishmania and Toxoplasma to provide faster, more accessible testing in the communities that need it most. Field trials are planned within the next 18 months.
The team has also identified new chemical entities with anti-parasitic activity which they hope will form the basis of a new drugs for leishmaniasis and related protozoan pathogens.
Witnessing the human cost of parasitic disease has driven Paul’s commitment to applied science.
For him, research also carries responsibility and he believes that laboratory research should reach beyond theory. Although progress takes time, he is optimistic that improved diagnostics will produce rapid benefits for affected communities.
In his view, motivating an international community to collaborate on a so-called Neglected Tropical Diseases, is one of his biggest achievements.
Partnerships with colleagues in endemic countries enable Paul to combine advocacy with practical tool development. The potential to shift medical outcomes, even gradually, continues to drive him forward.
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