Nicola Carter

Biography

Education: 1994 | Postdoctoral Training, Oregon Health & Science University 1995 | Doctor of Philosophy, Biochemistry, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK 1988 | Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Biology, Keele University, Keele, UK

Research Interest

Areas of Research & Specialization: My research interests are centered on how the human pathogen Leishmania donovani interacts with its host environment to acquire essential nutrients for its growth and viability. Leishmania are single cell eukaryotes that have a limited capacity to synthesize and store metabolites. Acquiring essential nutrients from the host environment is integral to Leishmania pathogenesis and parasitism and understanding nutrient acquisition pathways, as well as the mechanisms used by the parasite to counter times when nutrients are scarce, are fundamental to advancing our understanding of parasite biology, and will likely provide targets for future therapeutic exploration. The research in my laboratory is focused in two main areas of purine metabolism in Leishmania – purines are essential nutrients for Leishmania and their acquisition is a key nutritional process that impacts parasite viability and growth: Characterization of the molecular components used in the capture of purines from the host environment and the evaluation of these components as potential drug targets. Delineation of the pro-survival signaling pathways and adaptive responses that enable the parasite to overcome prolonged bouts of purine starvation. These projects present several opportunities for students (both at the graduate and undergraduate level) to engage in laboratory research. Both projects offer the potential for training in advanced molecular biology, protein chemistry, and proteomic technologies and can be structured to accommodate both short laboratory rotations, as well as extended research internships.