Dawn M. Wetzel

Dawn M. Wetzel studies Leishmania, a parasite that causes leishmaniasis (a skin and tissue disease spread by sandflies), focusing on how it invades and survives inside host immune cells called macrophages. Her work spans molecular biology of the parasite's internal skeleton (cytoskeleton), host cell signaling pathways involved in engulfing pathogens, and real-world tracking of locally transmitted Leishmania infections in Texas. She also collaborates on related work involving Toxoplasma gondii, another single-celled parasite, and on synthetic chemistry approaches to developing antiparasitic compounds.

Publication output has grown over the last decade, rising from about one paper per year in 2017-2018 to a peak of eight in 2024, with continued high activity in 2025-2026.

Generated by claude-sonnet-5 from public bibliographic data · Jul 20, 2026