African Sleeping Sickness News and Research

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African trypanosomiasis is also known as sleeping sickness. There are two types of African trypanosomiasis, East and West, named for the region of Africa in which they were historically found. People can get the disease if they are bitten by an infected tsetse fly, which is only found in Africa. Treatment is available for African trypanosomiasis, but it is fatal if left untreated.

Existing drug could be repurposed to treat type 1 diabetes, study suggests

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that causes the body's immune system to attack and destroy insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Traditional management of type 1 diabetes has primarily involved replacing the missing insulin with injections which, though effective, can be expensive and burdensome.

1 Nov 2023

Repurposing of DFMO could lead to innovative therapies for type 1 diabetes

A recent study led by Indiana University School of Medicine in collaboration with the University of Chicago Medicine presents exciting future possibilities for the management of type 1 diabetes and the potential reduction of insulin dependency.

1 Nov 2023

Scientists discover new details about RNA editing in single-celled, disease-causing parasite

As molecular biologists at Boston University and as husband and wife, Ruslan Afasizhev and Inna Afasizheva, have worked together for decades. Together, they have published dozens of papers on the mechanics of mitochondrial DNA and RNA in a single-celled, disease-causing parasite called Trypanosoma brucei.

19 Jul 2023

Street theater helps educate Malawians about African sleeping sickness

"Parasite Street Science" is a recent public engagement project by Dr Nicola Veitch and a team of scientists of the University of Glasgow that uses exciting street theatre performances to educate and entertain audiences in the UK and Malawi on the subject of African Sleeping Sickness.

6 Jul 2023

Cyanotriazole compounds can selectively and rapidly kill trypanosome parasites, study shows

Cyanotriazole compounds are fast-acting topoisomerase II poisons that can selectively and rapidly kill trypanosome parasites that cause Chagas disease and African sleeping sickness, according to a new study.

29 Jun 2023

Trial shows acoziborole drug clears body of African sleeping sickness parasites

Researchers evaluate the efficacy and safety of an oral antimicrobial drug acoziborole in patients with human African trypanosomiasis.

4 Dec 2022

Gene variants associated with acute kidney injury in Black veterans hospitalized with COVID-19

Gene variants increased the risk of acute kidney injury and death in veterans of African ancestry who were hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

10 Feb 2022

Two genetic risk variants in Black individuals may exacerbate sepsis and COVID-19 severity

Two genetic risk variants that are carried by nearly 40 percent of Black individuals may exacerbate the severity of both sepsis and COVID-19, a team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine have found.

16 Nov 2021

APOL1 variant risk may extend to poorer outcomes from SARS-CoV-2 infection

Now, a new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server tests the hypothesis that adverse COVID-19 outcomes are associated with the variants of the APOL1 gene.

4 Nov 2021

Child with Bachmann-Bupp Syndrome successfully treated in just 16 months

Diagnosing a rare medical condition is difficult. Identifying a treatment for it can take years of trial and error. In a serendipitous intersection of research expertise, an ill patient in this case a child and innovative technology, Bachmann-Bupp Syndrome has gone from a list of symptoms to a successful treatment in just 16 months.

20 Jul 2021

New drug target valid for breast cancer as well as lymphoma

One more piece of the puzzle has fallen into place behind a new drug whose anti-cancer potential was developed at the University of Alberta and is set to begin human trials this year, thanks to newly published research.

21 Jan 2021

Suramin shows promise as COVID-19 treatment

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv reports the elucidation of the mechanism of inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 by a non-nucleotide inhibitor called suramin. This is the first such compound to be shown to have such activity and shows promise for use as a repurposed drug against COVID-19.

12 Oct 2020

JGU professor wins Exploration Grant for research into membrane proteins of parasites

So-called neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) cause great suffering in some of the world's poorest countries and can lead also to significant economic losses due to, for example, the infestation of animal herds.

4 Jun 2020

Clemson researchers discover protein function in parasites which afflict millions with diseases

In the quest to develop more effective treatments for parasitic diseases like African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis, scientists look for weaknesses in the organisms' molecular machinery. These weaknesses can then be targeted with drug therapies designed to kill the parasites.

24 Feb 2020

Yale researchers take important step toward curbing the threat posed by tsetse fly

When an infected tsetse fly bites humans or other mammals to feed on their blood, microscopic parasites (African trypanosomes) in the fly's saliva are transferred. The unfortunate recipient of the bite, once infected, often faces severe health consequences, even death.

3 Feb 2020

Discovery of protein that may be key to treating tropical diseases

Neglected tropical diseases form a group of infectious parasitic diseases that affect a large percentage of the world population, mostly in emerging nations. Sleeping sickness affects millions in sub-Saharan Africa and is caused by the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma brucei, which is transmitted by the tsetse fly.

27 Aug 2019

Preventing parasites from adhering to mosquito guts could stop disease transmission

A group of microorganisms known as kinetoplastids includes the parasites that cause devastating diseases such as African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis.

31 Jul 2019

Key gene involved in transmission of African sleeping sickness identified

Life scientists from UCLA and the University of Bern have identified a key gene in the transmission of African sleeping sickness -- a severe disease transmitted by the bite of infected tsetse flies, which are common in sub-Saharan Africa.

10 Apr 2019

Researchers engineer a promising treatment for African sleeping sickness

Researchers have turned a fungus into a disease-curing factory through modern genetic engineering and patience.

4 Apr 2019

Scientists join forces to identify a new approach to fight African sleeping sickness

Scientists working in a range of disciplines joined forces to identify a new approach to combat African sleeping sickness. Fundamental research undertaken under the supervision of Professor Ute Hellmich of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz has revealed a promising strategy to develop a suitable agent.

20 Feb 2019