Breaking Trypanosomes' Vascular Grip
Some African trypanosomes cause animal African trypanosomiasis in cattle by adhering to blood vessel walls - a strategy known as sequestration. To investigate this, we developed two bovine vessel-on-chips that closely mimic the vasculature, allowing us to pinpoint how the parasite cytoadheres. By combining high resolution imaging, genetic analysis, and adhesion assays, we are searching for a glycosylated parasite surface protein that binds to an inflammation induced, sialylated receptor on endothelial cells. We study how this interaction behaves under physiological conditions and propose that disrupting either partner could dislodge the parasite from vessels and prevent disease in vivo. These findings pave the way for anti sequestration therapies that could protect livestock from trypanosomiasis.
- Parasitology
- Organ on chip
Speaker
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Sara Silva Pereira
Parasite Vascular Interactions Lab
Sara Silva Pereira leads the Parasite Vascular Interactions Lab at the Católica Biomedical Research Centre, in Portugal. She completed her PhD at the University of Liverpool, where her work revealed limited antigenic variation in African trypanosomes, challenging long-held models of immune evasion. As a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at the Institute of Molecular Medicine in Lisbon, she investigated tissue tropism in these parasites. In 2023, she launched her lab to study how African trypanoso... read more