- Duration
- 01/04/2021 - 31/03/2023
- Coordinator
- Julio Alonso
- Funded by
- Global Health Innovative Fund (GHIT)
Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects ~7 million people, mostly in Latin America. Vector-borne transmission is on the way of being controlled in several countries, but vertical transmission remains an uncontrolled major public-health challenge. Remarkably, available drugs have a very high cure rate in T. cruzi-infected newborns if administered early upon infection, thus a timely diagnose is crucial for treatment success.
However, the algorithm to detect congenital T. cruzi infection involves parasitological methods that lack sensitivity and a serological study must be performed several months later. In many endemic regions, people live far from referral centres which entails that a large proportion of infants rarely go back for diagnosis confirmation and treatment, if infected. Consequently, they evolve to the chronic phase of the disease with the risk of developing severe manifestations.
Molecular-based diagnostics have a very high sensitivity to detect congenital T. cruzi infections, but laboratories in those distant regions are not equipped to perform them. With the aim to provide a suitable point-of-care (POC) test for the timely diagnosis of congenital Chagas disease in these settings, we will validate the implementation of EIKEN T. cruzi loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) prototype in the field.
Total Funding
¥ 147,127,368
Our Team
Coordinator
-
Julio Alonso Padilla Senior Research Leader, Director of the Chagas Initiative
ISGlobal Team
-
Aina Casellas Torrentó
-
Laura Ferradino Research Assistant
-
Quim Gascon Research Professor -
Susana Méndez Data Manager Coordinator -
Mirko Rojas Consultant and Field Coordinator in Bolivia -
SERGI SANZ Biostatistics & Data Management Unit Head
Other projects
R21 AI151459-01A1
Longitudinal Antibody Profiles Correlated with Protection from Malaria in Malawi
BASEMALVAC
Baseline host and environmental factors that impact pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccine (hypo)responsiveness in endemic regions
GlycoTargets
New antimalarial therapies targeting the glycosylation pathways of ‘Plasmodium falciparum’
CLIMSOCTRYPBOL
Insight on climate and social participatory research for integral management of vectorborne zoonosis caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp. in the Bolivian Gran Chaco.
VaMonoS
Unravelling the heterogoneity and function of monocytes in vaccination and immunity to malaria
VivaxEVTalk
Extracellular Vesicles as Intercellular Communicators and Biomarkers of Cryptic Erythrocytic Infections in Plasmodium vivax malaria
RESPONSE
Mechanisms of the transcriptional responses to changes in the environment in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum
MalTransc
Transcriptional regulation of adaptation and developmental decisions in malaria parasites: from epigenetic variation to directed transcriptional responses
