New therapies to treat sleeping sickness

Luisa Figueiredo

Instituto de Medicina Molecular Joao Lobo Antunes, Portugal

Sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis) is a tropical infection caused by parasites transmitted through the bite of the tse-tse fly. This pathology is endemic in 36 countries of sub-Saharan Africa and has no treatment, thus most cases are fatal.

The way these parasites control their genetic information could become their Achilles heel and the basis of inspiration for new therapies. The authors have recently identified a new mechanism that the parasites use to regulate the expression of their genetic material.

The goal of this project is to identify those genetic factors that are essential for transmission of the parasite by means of the tse-tse fly, with all the health and socio-economic implications that would mean.

Mechanism and function of epitranscriptomic poly(A) tail modifications in African trypanosomes (TrypM6A)

499.400 €