Accelerating to Zero Transmission of Leprosy
Associate Professor Sarah Dunstan, Principal Research Fellow from the Department of Infectious Diseases, has recently been awarded a research grant from the LEO Foundation to improve the treatment and transmission of leprosy in Nepal.
The Dunstan Group, led by Associate Professor Sarah Dunstan.
Leprosy is a neglected tropical skin disease that affects more than 200,000 people globally per year in more than 120 countries.
Funding from the LEO Foundation (AU$876,000) will support Associate Professor Sarah Dunstan and her team, including collaborators based in Nepal, to employ genomic epidemiology to understand disease transmission patterns and the emergence of drug resistance in the leprosy-causing bacteria (Mycobacterium leprae).
The outcomes of this work will inform interventions for diagnosis, treatment, and vaccine strategies to work towards the ultimate goal of achieving zero transmission of leprosy.