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World Community Grid Forums
Category: Completed Research
Forum: Drug Search for Leishmaniasis Forum
Thread: Will this data also apply to Chaga's disease? |
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Thread Status: Active Total posts in this thread: 5
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Chagas is another tropical disease caused by a member of
Trypanosomatida . Any chance that this research will apply to Chagas? |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Hello griddlecrunch,
The wiki article you link to shows that there are many varieties of trypanosomatids, so probably not. Still, if we discover something useful against leishmaniasis, I feel sure that people will check it against sleeping sickness and Chaga's disease. Trypanosomatids are a group of kinetoplastid protozoa distinguished by having only a single flagellum. The name is derived from the Greek trypano (borer) and soma (body) because of the corkscrew-like motion of some trypanosomatid species. All members are exclusively parasitic, found primarily in insects. A few genera have life-cycles involving a secondary host, which may be a vertebrate, invertebrate or plant. These include several species that cause major diseases in humans. The three major human diseases caused by trypanosomatids are; African trypanosomiasis (Sleeping Sickness, caused by Trypanosoma brucei), South American trypanosomiasis (Chagas Disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi), and leishmaniasis (a set of trypanosomal diseases caused by various species of Leishmania). Lawrence |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Still, if we discover something useful against leishmaniasis, I feel sure that people will check it against sleeping sickness and Chaga's disease. The genome for Chaga's has been found so I would think there would be some idea if a protein was a possible target in both. My uneducated guess would be that they are close enough relatives that they would share a lot of genes and therefor protein targets. I see folding@home is doing Chaga's. I find it very exciting that these diseases may finally get effective treatments. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Trypanosomes parasites, the causative agent of Chagas disease in the New World and Sleeping sickness in Africa, and Leishmania are parasites belonging of classifed within the same parasite family, so they share a set of proteins and molecules both functional and structurally. If we get a drug, that impair a Leishmania protein and finally killing the parasites and this protein has a homologous protein in Trypanosomes and expressed in the parasite stage that infect humans, this drug might also has effect, with some considerations, in the Trypanosome parasites. However, in vitro and in vivo tests have to be carried out to finally demonstrate the effect of the drug in Trypanosomes. But the chance is high and shorten the drug discovery process.
In summary, the answer is "yes" the data of this project, with some consideration as stated above, may apply to chagas disease. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
In summary, the answer is "yes" the data of this project, with some consideration as stated above, may apply to chagas disease. That would be good news if it does. Chagas may be a bigger problem than believed. According to new research the variety of the insect that spreads it may be spreading into the US and the parasite can be found in the insects in Arizona and California, which also test positive for having bitten humans. The title is a bit misleading being that they seem to already be a risk for at least those two states, even if a relatively small risk at this time. With Climate Change, U.S. Could Face Risk From Chagas Disease http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=news&storyID=13395&category=uvmhome |
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