Advancing Vaccine Research for Chagas Disease

Summary

Historically, infectious diseases have caused immense suffering, but vaccines have greatly reduced their impact. However, effective vaccines against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are still lacking, and these diseases continue to be a major burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Chagas disease is a NTD caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affecting 6 to 7 million people worldwide, resulting in 10,000 – 50,000 deaths annually. Current antiparasitic treatments are limited, and there is no licensed effective vaccine.

This PhD research focused on advancing the development and evaluation of effective vaccines for Chagas disease. Existing techniques to test vaccine-induced immune responses were improved, and new methodologies to identify vaccine targets were explored. Also, efforts were made to gain more insights on new and current vaccine targets for Chagas disease vaccines, and mRNA vaccines were evaluated as a promising platform to develop vaccines for Chagas disease and other parasitic diseases.