| Grant number: | 13/04676-9 |
| Support Opportunities: | Regular Research Grants |
| Duration: | August 01, 2013 - July 31, 2016 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Parasitology - Protozoology of Parasites |
| Principal Investigator: | Heitor Franco de Andrade Junior |
| Grantee: | Heitor Franco de Andrade Junior |
| Host Institution: | Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo (IMT). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil |
| Associated researchers: | Andrés Jimenez Galisteo Jr ; Luciana Regina Meireles Jaguaribe Ekman ; Nanci Do Nascimento |
Abstract
We studied the diagnosis and pathogenic process in endemic human and experimental infections caused by protozoa and other infectious agents, especially toxoplasmosis, mostly devoted to the detection of infections by specific antibodies and the evaluation of an oral vaccine with irradiated parasites for felids. In the detection of specific antibodies, the main tool is the ELISA and their variations, which are difficult technique to quantify antibodies due its bi-exponential character. Studies of vaccine effect by cell proliferation to antigen challenge are limited if you use radiotracers, but recently new approaches using highly efficient flow cytometry and fluorometry and we achieved recently core facilities for those techniques. Fluorometric approaches allow better quantification of specific antibodies, with high throughput assays and the use of 11 color flow cytometry will provide a better approach to understand cell proliferation to antigen, with more adequate vaccine control. We intend to develop single well detection of specific antibody class (IgG, IgM e IgA) in human toxoplasmosis in our collection of sera with clinical and serological pre-defined patterns, allowing also better quantification in IgG avidity assays, with possible liquid arrays for use in antenatal diagnosis of T.gondii infection in pregnant women and other risky groups. In the same way in vaccine development, we intend to identify groups of antigen challenged cells by high efficient multiple color flow citometry, looking for identification of markers of efficiency of oral vaccine in experimental mouse models. Those projects are the best way to change a technology basis of our laboratory, essential for the new studies devoted to solve the important scientific challenges in human endemic diseases caused by protozoa, allowing both quantitative and qualitative progression in this important field, using preventive, vaccine screening, experimental or epidemiological approaches. (AU)
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