The identification of epitopes from extracellular vesicles isolated from Trypanosoma cruzi in interaction with the host via Phage Display Library

• Grant number: 24/21208-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Parasitology - Protozoology of Parasites
• Principal Investigator: Ana Claudia Trocoli Torrecilhas
• Grantee: Eliana Ferreira Monteiro
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Ambientais, Químicas e Farmacêuticas (ICAQF). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Diadema. Diadema , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is a neglected tropical disease with a high prevalence in tropical regions around the world. It impacts populations with socioeconomic risk, causing social, economic, and public health impacts. The etiology and progression of Chagas disease include a complicated interaction between the parasite and the host, marked by persistence and immune system evasion mechanisms that directly affect the progression of the disease. Cells and parasites communicate by several mechanisms, including molecule expression on the cell surface, secretion of soluble molecules in the extracellular environment, or the release of extracellular vesicles (EVs). In this context, this proposal aims to identify high-affinity peptides for surface proteins of EVs purified from the non-virulent (P2) and virulent (P20) trypomastigote forms of T. cruzi strain Y and to characterize these surface proteins to understand the mechanism of host-parasite interactions using phage display technology. The results obtained in this research project may contribute to understanding the pathogenesis of Chagas Disease and the interactions that occur between the parasite and the host. (AU)