Lucienne Tritten

“Scientific research is an adventure, which takes you to explore completely uncharted territories, where no one has ever been. It is a privilege, humbling and exhilarating at the same time.”

Degrees

BSc (University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland)
MSc (Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and University of Basel, Switzerland)
PhD (Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and University of Basel, Switzerland)
PD (University of Zurich, Switzerland)

Short Bio

After receiving her BSc in Biology at the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland), Professor Tritten obtained an MSc in Infection Biology. It was during her PhD in Microbiology at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and the University of Basel under the supervision of Prof. J. Keiser that she developed a passion for helminth parasites and the strategies they employ to survive in their hosts. She continued specializing in helminth research with Prof. T.G. Geary at the Institute of Parasitology of McGill University (2012-2015), with Prof. M. Schnyder at the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Zurich (2015-2023), and at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (2022-2023). She has a broad expertise in drug discovery, helminth molecular biology, and immunology. She has worked with many parasites of importance for humans and animals.

Research Interests

Parasitic helminths are among the most common pathogens of humans and animals, causing human diseases that affect more than 1.5 billion people of the poorest populations and enormous production losses in livestock agriculture. Despite these continuing impacts, we know surprisingly little about the basic biology of host-helminth interactions. Dr. Tritten’s research is focused on the molecular crosstalk between parasitic helminths and their mammalian hosts. She is particularly interested in the roles played by helminth nucleic acids and extracellular vesicles (EVs) in host immunomodulation. Her overarching goal is to determine how EVs released by helminths and hosts shape the outcome of an infection.

Current Research

• Helminth extracellular vesicles and their roles in infection: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-bound packages transporting bioactive cargo, secreted by virtually all living cells into their environment. The functional characterization of excretory/secretory material released by helminths at the parasite-host interface – including EVs and their molecular contents – is essential to determine how they manipulate their hosts’ immune system to favor the development of chronic infections. Dr. Tritten is particularly committed to understanding the roles of ribonucleic acids (RNA, with an emphasis on noncoding RNA) in parasite-host communication.
• RNA-based diagnostics of helminth infections in the animal reservoir in endemic countries: Dr. Tritten is involved in several RNA-based diagnostic research projects through interdisciplinary international collaborations. The development of highly sensitive and specific assays is key to the elimination phase of such pathogens.

Publications

View a list of current publications