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  "path": "/news/2026-02-drug-sickness-chagas-pex38-protein.html",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-27T13:20:01.000Z",
  "site": "https://medicalxpress.com",
  "tags": [
    "Medical research"
  ],
  "textContent": "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.",
  "title": "A new drug target for sleeping sickness and Chagas? Why the PEX38 protein stands out"
}