Simon Croft BSc PGCE PhD

Professor of Parasitology / Head of Faculty

Simon Croft is Professor of Parasitology in the Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK. He trained as a parasitologist at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and, after post-doctoral periods working in the laboratory on parasite ultrastructure and biochemistry and overseas on the transmission of African trypanosomiasis, he moved to research on anti-protozoal chemotherapy. His expertise and knowledge on anti-protozoal chemotherapy was developed while working with the Wellcome Research Laboratories, Beckenham, UK for 5 years in the 1980s. Following his return to academia, Simon focused his research on the identification and evaluation of novel drugs and formulations for the treatment of leishmaniasis, malaria, human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) and South American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease). This work included projects on miltefosine, AmBisome and topical paromomycin, all of which reached clinical trials for the treatment of leishmaniasis. Other current research interests include the drug - immune response interaction and drug resistance in leishmaniasis and malaria.

From 2004 to 2007 he was R & D Director at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), Geneva.

Affiliation

Research

Current research programmes on antimalarial, antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal drug identification, evaluation and development are supported by EU FP7 and MMV. Other projects - on a vaccine for leishmaniasis is supported by EU FP7, on topical formulations for the cutaneous leishmaniases by the Sir Halley Stewart Trust and Heptagon, and on models for 2nd stage African trypanosomiasis by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Research areas

  • Drug discovery and development
  • Leishmaniasis
  • Malaria
  • Parasites
  • Trypanosomes

Disciplines

  • Cell biology
  • Pharmacology

Other interests

  • Antiprotozoal Drug Discovery
  • Chemotherapy
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