Philippe SOLANO

Information

Scientific interests and projects

The Intertryp IRD-Cirad Research Unit is the WHO Collaborating Centre for research on interactions in the epidemiology of human African trypanosomiasis, and is the OIE Reference Laboratory for animal trypanosomoses.

The health and social burden of neglected tropical diseases caused by Trypanosomatids (NTD-TRYPs: HAT and AAT, Chagas disease, Leishmanioses) makes it necessary to control and eliminate them in compliance with the WHO 2020 and 2030 roadmaps for the elimination of NTDs. Our research fits in directly with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, and in particular SDGs 2 and 3.

Our Mission: With our Southern and European partners, we have adopted an integrated “One Health” approach to all aspects of the Trypanosomatid cycle—hosts, parasites, vectors, microbiota and the environment, in order to:
• diagnose, analyse, develop and provide partners in the South and neglected populations with ways of controlling and eliminating these diseases
• improve public and animal health, and increase food security in a context of global change

This is accompanied by a strong capacity-building component for our partners.

Our scientific strategy, in particular regarding our involvement in Parafrap is to,
• Clarify the bases of host-parasite interactions and understand the phenomena of asymptomatic carrying/tolerance/resistance
• Develop new prophylactic and therapeutic molecules and new strategies for interrupting the transmission of parasites and infection, in order to
• Effectively contribute with our national partners in Disease Endemic Countries to the NTD-TRYP elimination process.

Top 5 publications of the last 5 years

1. Ndung’u J.M., A. Boulangé, A. Picado, A. Mugenyi, A. Mortensen, A. Hope, B. Bucheton, C. Wamboga, C. Waiswa, D. Kaba, E. Matovu, F. Courtin, G. Garrod, G. Gimonneau, G.V. Bingham, H.M. Hassane, I. Tirados, I. Saldanha, J. Kabore, J.B. Rayaisse, J.M. Bart, J. Lingley, J. Esterhuizen, J. Longbottom, J. Pulford, L. Kouakou, L. Sanogo, L. Cunningham, M. Camara, M. Koffi, M. Stanton, M. Lehane, M.B. Guihini, M.S. Kagbadouno, O. Camara, P. Bessell, P. Mallaye, P. Solano, R. Selby, S. Dunkley, S.J. Torr, S. Bieler, V. Lejon, V. Jamonneau, W. Yoni, Z. Katz. (2020). Trypa-No! contributes to the elimination of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis by combining tsetse control with "screen, diagnose and treat" using innovative tools and strategies. Plos Negl. Trop. Dis., 14(11): e0008738. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008738.

2. Ilboudo K, Boulangé A, Hounyèmè RE, Gimonneau G, Kaboré J, Belem AGM, Desquesnes M, Lejon V, Koffi M, Jamonneau V, Thévenon S. Performance of diagnostic tests for Trypanosoma brucei brucei in experimentally infected pigs. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2023 Nov 9; 17(11):e0011730. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011730

3. Capewell P., Atkins K., Weir W., Jamonneau V., Camara M., Clucas C., Swar N.K., Ngoyi D.M., Rotureau B., Garside P., Galvani A.P., Bucheton B., MacLeod A. (2019). Resolving the apparent transmission paradox of African sleeping sickness. PLoS Biol., 17(1):e3000105. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000105 Parafrap partner: B Rotureau, Pasteur Inst

4. Lejon V, Lindner AK, Franco JR. Human African trypanosomiasis. Lancet. 2025 Mar 15;405(10482):937-950. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00107-2

5. Hamrouni S., Bras-Gonçalves R., Kidar A., Aoun K., Chamakh-Ayari R., Petitdidier E., Messaoudi Y., Pagniez J., Lemesre J.L., Meddeb-Garnaoui A. (2020). Design of multi-epitope peptides containing HLA class-I and class-II-restricted epitopes derived from immunogenic Leishmania proteins, and evaluation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses induced in cured cutaneous leishmaniasis subjects. PLoS Negl Trop. Dis. 2020 14(3):e0008093. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008093.