Development of New Diagnostic and Treatment Options for Helminthic Neglected Diseases (NDTND)

FRANCHINI GISELA; URIEL KOZIOL; ENRICO BRUNETTI; MARA CECILIA ROSENZVIT; JULIÁN BÉLGAMO; MARA MARICONTI; ADRIANO CASULLI; BETINA CÓRSICO; MATÍAS GASTÓN PÉREZ; MARCELA CUCHER; ESTELA CASTILLO; KLAUS BREHM

Lima

Congreso; 28th Congress of Echicoccosis; 2019

NDTND project aims at developing new therapeutic and diagnostic tools to contribute to the control of neglected diseases caused by helminthic parasites, such as cystic (CE) and alveolar (AE) echinococcosis. Specific Echinococcus spp. molecules are being evaluated as new therapeutic/diagnosis targets using bioinformatics, molecular biology, biochemistry and biophysical methods integrated with relevant clinical and epidemiological information. The evaluation as therapeutic targets of highly expressed, specific molecules that may exert essential functions for the parasite, such as microRNAs and lipid binding proteins is underway. The small RNAs and proteins actively secreted by larval stages of these parasites are being characterized to assess their potential as biomarkers. Ultrasound surveys and sera collection from humans affected by CE are being performed in order to link the potentially new biomarkers in the stage specific approach according to the current WHO-IWGE (Informal Working Group on Echinococcosis) expert consensus. The expected outcomes of the project are the development of new compounds that bind and inhibit essential and unique molecules of these parasites, and to find new detection tools to improve the status of both treatment and early diagnosis of these complex and neglected parasitic diseases.