Comparative study of proteins from Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma cruzi marinkellei submitted to ionizing radiation by Cobalt 60

• Grant number: 23/04429-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Parasitology - Protozoology of Parasites
• Principal Investigator: Andrés Jimenez Galisteo Jr
• Grantee: Bianca Eun Young Hwangbo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Chagas disease, one of the most neglected tropical diseases, is more prevalent in endemic regions of Latin America and is responsible for the death of approximately 14,000 individuals per year. The etiological agent is Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoan with a heteroxenic cycle and which has a diversity of hosts. Due to the consequences of the infection, the barriers encountered in treatment and diagnosis, the search for new therapies has increased. Researchers have invested in the use of attenuated parasites, DNA, antigenic molecules shared with T.cruzi, as possible immunizing agents, and have already demonstrated their immunological potential. Trypanosoma cruzi marinkellei, a trypanosoma isolated from a bat, has also been studied as a possible immunizer, due to its phylogenetic proximity and the broad sharing of antigens with Trypanosoma cruzi, but which presents easy growth in vitro. Some groups of researchers have already shown the potential of T.c.marinkellei in the immunization of mice challenged by T.cruzi, with a significant reduction in parasitemia and increased survival. Ionizing radiation has been proving to be an innovative tool with great potential in the production of vaccine candidates, with already known promising results in its use in other parasites, snake venoms and toxins. Our group has already been using this technology with satisfactory results, which can be used in studies with irradiated proteins from trypanosomes. We believe that the effect of ionizing radiation on these proteins can be an interesting path for the discovery of vaccine candidates, consequently, in the near future, improving the quality of human and animal life.