Tom Beneke

This study identifies specific dynein contributions to flagellar beat types in Leishmania, challenging the existing model of dynein function in flagellar beating.

The paper identifies a Leishmania infantum strain suitable for genetic studies and provides its genome sequence and CRISPR-Cas9 tools for visceral leishmaniasis research.

This study shows that flagellum assembly and BBSome integrity are essential for Leishmania mexicana pathogenicity, while flagellar motility is not required for infection.

This paper develops a CRISPR base-editing library for genome-wide loss-of-function screening in Leishmania mexicana to study drug response mechanisms and identify novel biomarkers.

The paper identifies essential membrane transporters for Leishmania survival through a CRISPR-Cas9 gene deletion screen, finding that V-ATPase is critical for amastigote survival despite being dispensable for promastigote growth.

The paper improves gene editing in Leishmania by combining AsCas12a ultra, T7 RNA Polymerase, and a cytosine base editor, enabling efficient functional screening of genes.