2026 David L. Sacks: Immunology Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Immunology	73	2129	1954	1035	939	110	20636

Overview

David L. Sacks is affiliated with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the United States. Their research primarily focuses on medicine, with specializations in public health, environmental and occupational health, epidemiology, immunology, insect science, and parasitology.

The scientist's work encompasses several main topics including research on leishmaniasis studies, Trypanosoma species research and implications, insect symbiosis and bacterial influences, parasites and host interactions, IL-33, ST2, and ILC pathways, immune cell function and interaction, and phagocytosis and immune regulation.

Frequent coauthors collaborating with David L. Sacks include Tiago Rodrigues Ferreira, Andrea Paun, Kashinath Ghosh, Sang Hun Lee, and Olena Kamenyeva.

They have published in multiple scientific venues, with recurrent publications appearing in:

Nature Communications
The Journal of Infectious Diseases
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
PLoS Pathogens
Cell Reports

Recent papers authored by David L. Sacks include:

"Xenodiagnosis to evaluate the infectiousness of humans to sandflies in an area endemic for visceral leishmaniasis in Bihar, India: a transmission-dynamics study" (2021, The Lancet Microbe)
"M2-like, dermal macrophages are maintained via IL-4/CCL24-mediated cooperative interaction with eosinophils in cutaneous leishmaniasis" (2020, Science Immunology)
"The role of dermis resident macrophages and their interaction with neutrophils in the early establishment of Leishmania major infection transmitted by sand fly bite" (2020, PLoS Pathogens)
"Type I Interferons Suppress Anti-parasitic Immunity and Can Be Targeted to Improve Treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis" (2020, Cell Reports)
"In Vitro Generation of Leishmania Hybrids" (2020, Cell Reports)

Best Publications

CD4 + CD25 + regulatory T cells control Leishmania major persistence and immunity

Yasmine Belkaid;Yasmine Belkaid;Ciriaco A. Piccirillo;Susana Mendez;Ethan M. Shevach

2261
Citations
The immunology of susceptibility and resistance to Leishmania major in mice

David Sacks;Nancy Noben-Trauth

1664
Citations
The Role of Interleukin (IL)-10 in the Persistence of Leishmania major in the Skin after Healing and the Therapeutic Potential of Anti–IL-10 Receptor Antibody for Sterile Cure

Yasmine Belkaid;Karl F. Hoffmann;Susana Mendez;Shaden Kamhawi

821
Citations
Identification of an infective stage of Leishmania promastigotes

David L. Sacks;Peter V. Perkins

726
Citations
Development of a Natural Model of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: Powerful Effects of Vector Saliva and Saliva Preexposure on the Long-Term Outcome of Leishmania major Infection in the Mouse Ear Dermis

Yasmine Belkaid;Shaden Kamhawi;Govind Modi;Jesus Valenzuela

613
Citations
VACCINATION WITH DNA ENCODING THE IMMUNODOMINANT LACK PARASITE ANTIGEN CONFERS PROTECTIVE IMMUNITY TO MICE INFECTED WITH LEISHMANIA MAJOR

Sanjay Gurunathan;David L. Sacks;Daniel R. Brown;Steven L. Reiner

554
Citations
Identification of cell surface carbohydrate and antigenic changes between noninfective and infective developmental stages of Leishmania major promastigotes.

D L Sacks;S Hieny;A Sher

472
Citations
Toward a Defined Anti-Leishmania Vaccine Targeting Vector Antigens: Characterization of a Protective Salivary Protein

Jesus G. Valenzuela;Yasmine Belkaid;Mark K. Garfield;Susana Mendez

465
Citations
In vivo cytokine profiles in patients with kala-azar. Marked elevation of both interleukin-10 and interferon-gamma.

C. L. Karp;S. H. El-Safi;T. A. Wynn;M. M. H. Satti

434
Citations
Leishmania promastigotes selectively inhibit interleukin 12 induction in bone marrow-derived macrophages from susceptible and resistant mice.

Lucia Carrera;Ricardo T. Gazzinelli;Raffaello Badolato;Sara Hieny

422
Citations
Uptake of Leishmania major Amastigotes Results in Activation and Interleukin 12 Release from Murine Skin–derived Dendritic Cells: Implications for the Initiation of Anti-Leishmania Immunity

Esther von Stebut;Yasmine Belkaid;Thilo Jakob;David L. Sacks

414
Citations
Demonstration of genetic exchange during cyclical development of Leishmania in the sand fly vector.

Natalia S. Akopyants;Nicola Kimblin;Nagila Secundino;Rachel Patrick

400
Citations
A Role for Insect Galectins in Parasite Survival

Shaden Kamhawi;Marcelo Ramalho-Ortigao;Van M. Pham;Sanjeev Kumar

352
Citations
Stage-specific adhesion of Leishmania promastigotes to the sandfly midgut.

Paulo F. P. Pimenta;Salvatore J. Turco;Malcolm J. McConville;Phillip G. Lawyer

343
Citations
Targeted gene deletion in Leishmania major identifies leishmanolysin (GP63) as a virulence factor.

Phalgun B. Joshi;Ben L. Kelly;Shaden Kamhawi;David L. Sacks

327
Citations
Metacyclogenesis in Leishmania promastigotes.

David L. Sacks

306
Citations
The role of phosphoglycans in Leishmania–sand fly interactions

David L. Sacks;Govind Modi;Edgar Rowton;Gerald Späth

297
Citations
Vaccine requirements for sustained cellular immunity to an intracellular parasitic infection

Sanjay Gurunathan;Calman Prussin;David L. Sacks;Robert A. Seder

289
Citations
The role of antigen and IL-12 in sustaining Th1 memory cells in vivo: IL-12 is required to maintain memory/effector Th1 cells sufficient to mediate protection to an infectious parasite challenge.

Laura Stobie;Sanjay Gurunathan;Calman Prussin;David L. Sacks

286
Citations
Stage-specific binding of Leishmania donovani to the sand fly vector midgut is regulated by conformational changes in the abundant surface lipophosphoglycan.

D. L. Sacks;P. F. P. Pimenta;M. J. Mcconville;P. Schneider

276
Citations

Frequent Co-Authors

Yasmine Belkaid National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Shaden Kamhawi National Institutes of Health

Salvatore J. Turco University of Kentucky

Robert A. Seder National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Stephen M. Beverley Washington University in St. Louis

Alan Sher National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Mark C. Udey Washington University in St. Louis

Jesus G. Valenzuela National Institutes of Health

Peter C. Melby The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

Nicolas Glaichenhaus Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS

External Links

Personal website of David L. Sacks

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