Introducing UPMM

The “Unit of Medical Parasitology and Microbiology - UPMM” is a R&D unit dedicated to the research in the fields of medical parasitology and microbiology, with the aim of contributing to the development of scientific knowledge in these areas. This multidisciplinary facet constitutes an added value, contributing to the advancement of biomedicine, and therefore, to the improvement of human health. Hosted in the “Institute for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine” of the “New University of Lisbon”, our field of action is directed, not only to health in the tropics, but also towards international health. In fact, many of the originally so-called tropical pathologies are now world problems due to globalisation, socioeconomic factors and climatic change. This has lead to the emergence and re-emergence of diseases that were once considered to have been eliminated from the developed world. Such is the case of vector-borne diseases, such as malaria, leishmaniasis and arboviroses, as well as other viral diseases, such as HIV-related, or bacterial diseases, such as tuberculosis, and many helminthic human parasitosis. All of these, together, pose an important burden on the world health, which cannot be ignored as major drawbacks on development, demanding continuous efforts leading to their alleviation and control. Such control measures are often “neglected”, particularly in the developing world and thus contributing to the classification of some of these into neglected diseases.

UPMM is organized into four groups dedicated to research on the fields of Virology, Mycobacteriology, Medical Helminthology and Medical Entomology, the latter dedicated to studying the arthropod vectors of some of the above mentioned pathologies. Research has mainly focused on bioecology, host-pathogen interactions, immuno-diagnosis, general and molecular epidemiology, evaluation of new therapeutic targets and effectors, as well as surveillance, prevention and control. UPMM provides the environment for an increasing effort for integrative and transversal research involving those thematic areas. This is evident within the unit, with the collaboration between Virology and Entomology (e.g. study of arboviral diseases), between Virology and Helminthology (e.g. study of particular helminths), between Helminthology and Malacology (studying the molusc intermediate hosts of many helminthoses) and between Helminthology and Entomology (e.g. study of onchocerciasis and dirofilariasis). Furthermore, it extends to interactions between this unit and CMDT-LA, the other R&D unit hosted in the same institution (e.g. study of malaria, leishmaniasis, vector population genetics, etc.), and at the international level, particularly by the Mycobacteriology group, with increasingly consolidated joint research with foreign institutions. Thus, we can say that UPMM has been, since its creation in 1994, steadily accomplishing the objectives that it was set for.

Projectos & Redes de Investigação - Projects and Research Networks

Investigação - Research Groups