Insaf Bel Hadj Ali

I am a molecular biologist working as a permanent scientist researcher at Institut Pasteur of Tunis at the laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology and Experimental Pathology (MEEP) directed by Dr. Ikram Guizani. I joined the laboratory in June 2013 and since this date my research interest focuses on developing and implementing novel rapid point-of-care molecular diagnostic tests that detect and identify Leishmania parasites with high specificity and sensitivity to screen patients wherever they are. Currently, I am a Co-investigator of a project entitled " Diagnosis of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: Development and Evaluation of Multiplex POC DNA Assays" financed by the National Academy of Sciences (USA), in the frame of Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER cycle 5) program. The goal of this study is to develop rapid, simple and cost effective molecular tools for the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Old World. I am also a key team member of the project entitled "Comparative evaluation of new generation molecular tools for the molecular diagnosis of the cutaneous leishmaniasis" implemented in the Clinical Investigation Center of Institut Pasteur de Tunis and financed by the Ministry of Higher Education of Tunisia. The aim of this project is to evaluate a new developed molecular diagnosis tool in Tunisian clinical samples.