A new drug target for sleeping sickness and Chagas? Why the PEX38 protein stands out

Researchers working with Professor Ralf Erdmann at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, have discovered a critical vulnerability shared by the pathogens that cause African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis. The PEX38 protein plays a crucial role in the formation of certain organelles of the trypanosomes that are essential for their energy supply. Because humans do not require this protein, it represents a promising target for new treatments against tropical diseases that affect more than 1 billion people worldwide every year.