EvaLAMP & db-NALFIA study: PhD examination Dawit Hagos

PhD candidate Dawit G. Hagos successfully defended his PhD thesis titled: “Diagnosis of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Ethiopia: Current Challenges and Future Prospects” on 25 October 2024 at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. His (co-)promotors included Prof. Dr Menno de Jong, Dr Henk Schallig, and Dr Dawit Wolday, EDCTP Senior Fellow.

The thesis identified the shortcomings of current diagnostic approaches for visceral leishmaniasis in Ethiopia and demonstrated the potential of a new molecular diagnostic test, which circumvents DNA extraction and has a simplified read-out system. This direct-on-blood mini PCR NALFIA system has been developed by Dr Schallig and his team. The PhD study was supported by an EDCTP Senior Fellow Dr Wolday (Ethiopia) as part of the EvaLAMP & db-NALFIA study, which evaluated two new options for rapid and simplified diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis, an important neglected infectious disease in East Africa.