Late stage African Sleeping Sickness: Elucidation of Brain Infection by African Trypanosomes

• Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Michael Duszenko
• Mitantragsteller: Professor Bruno Kilunga Kubata, Ph.D.
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Parasitologie und Biologie der Erreger tropischer Infektionskrankheiten
• Förderung: Förderung von 2009 bis 2014
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 69138258

The present project aims to establish a scientific research consortium between the University of Tubingen in Germany and some institutions in the human (sleeping sickness) and animal (nagana) trypanosomiasis most affected African countries. The main objective of the project will be to study how trypanosomes regulate their density in the brain and in the cerebrospinal fluid (csf) in order to establish the late stage of African trypanosomiasis during which only a few drugs can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to kill the parasites. Molecules such as PGD2 will be used in animal models to elucidate their role in the regulation and control of trypanosome cell density, an essential process for the parasites to establish parasitism and maintain the mammalian host alive.In addition, this project will offer training opportunities for young African scientists and researchers through sandwich training programs between the universities in the Biosciences eastern and central Africa countries and the University of Tubingen. Young scientists from endemic African countries will acquire technical and scientific skills to enable them carry out high quality scientific research on biosciences in their own countries. The project will also strengthen and build capacity in terms of sharing facilities in the region. Likewise, the consortium will create enabling conditions for German researchers to have access to the information on and research materials of human and animal African trypanosomiasis from Africa.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen
• Internationaler Bezug: Kenia