Abstract Currently available first-line antiparasitic treatments against Chagas disease can produce adverse side effects and are not fully effective in the chronic stage of the disease. As a result, there is a sustained research effort to discover new chemical entities and therapeutic formulations to feed clinical development pipelines for Chagas disease. Eventually these drugs will enter a clinical study to evaluate their efficacy. However, there are known difficulties in assessing therapeutic efficacy in patients in the chronic stage: subclinical parasitemia makes circulating parasites difficult to detect either by direct observation or by molecular methods (PCR).
A common strategy to identify new antiparasitic agents is the targeting of proteases, due to their essential contributions to parasite growth and development. Metacaspases (MCAs) are cysteine proteases present in fungi, protozoa, and plants. These …
Chagas disease is a neglected tropical illness caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. The disease is endemic in Latin America with about 6 million people infected and many more being at risk. Only two drugs are available for treatment, …
Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is a life-long and debilitating illness of major significance throughout Latin America, and an emergent threat to global public health. Diagnostic tests are key tools to support disease …