Myrthe Pareyn

Myrthe Pareyn is a post-doctoral researcher at the Neglected Tropical Diseases Unit within the Clinical Sciences Department at the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp. She holds a PhD in Biology from the University of Antwerp (2020), focusing on cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ethiopia. Her research emphasizes improving treatments and diagnostics for leishmaniasis, particularly in Ethiopia, and strengthening molecular laboratories in low-resource settings. She has conducted extensive fieldwork in Cambodia and Ethiopia, developing expertise in entomology, epidemiology, and molecular diagnostics.

Education:

• PhD in Biology, University of Antwerp, 2020
• Master in Biomedical Sciences - Tropical and Infectious Diseases, University of Antwerp, 2016

Research Interests:

Her work focuses on cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis, including treatment decentralization, diagnostics innovation, and capacity building in healthcare. She actively supervises students and trains professionals in molecular diagnostics.

Projects:

• AIM-CL (Flemish Government-funded): Developing antimicrobial adjuvants for cutaneous leishmaniasis treatment (2023–2026)
• Decent-CL (King Baudouin Foundation): Improving diagnostics and treatment access in Ethiopia (2023–2025)
• FA5 ETHIOPIA (EU-funded): NTD control and antimicrobial resistance strategies (2022–2026)

Labs & Teams: She leads initiatives to establish molecular labs in low-resource areas, enhancing local diagnostic capabilities and research infrastructure.