Metabolomic analysis of Trypanosoma cruzi isolates from patients with different clinical forms of Chagas Disease

• Grant number: 16/17844-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2017
• End date: December 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Metabolism and Bioenergetics
• Principal Investigator: Fernanda Ramos Gadelha
• Grantee: Tabata Fiorillo Dálio
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Chagas disease (CD) whose etiologic agent is Trypanosoma cruzi has four clinical forms (cardiac, digestive, cardio-digestive and indeterminate). It is estimated that approximated 8 million people are infected with DC in Latin America. Unfortunately, there isn't an effective treatment for the disease. The geographic heterogeneity of DC suggests that a genetic variation in the host or in the parasite or in both is important for the establishment of the different clinical manifestations of the disease. To date it is still unknown the biological parameters of the parasites that causes the different clinical forms. Considering that metabolomics is used to identify the metabolites produced or transformed in an organism, the goal of this project is to establish a correlation between the metabolic pathways of different parasites isolated from patients affected by distinct DC clinical forms. The development of this project will identify similarities or differences between metabolic pathways of the studied parasites and the pathogenesis of the disease. (AU)