How the sleeping sickness parasite's RNA shape controls its life-stage changes
Official title: Role of RNA structure in developmental RNA editing regulation in trypanosomes
Funded at Texas A&m Agrilife Research · NIH-11231260 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at how the sleeping sickness parasite's RNA folds to change its genes, aiming to uncover targets that could help people with African sleeping sickness.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Texas A&m Agrilife Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (College Station, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | November 13, 2024 |
| Project end | October 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $190,278 |
| NIH project number | 5R21AI187936-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11231260 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People affected by African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) or those at high risk in endemic regions could be future candidates for trials or interventions that arise from this research.
✕Less likely to help
People without African sleeping sickness, including those with unrelated illnesses or with Chagas disease caused by a different parasite, are unlikely to see direct benefit from this laboratory-focused project.
What this research studies
If you or a loved one has sleeping sickness, this team is studying the parasite's RNA to understand how it changes between the insect and human stages. In the lab they make parasite RNAs, probe their shapes with chemicals and read them with sequencing (DMS-MaPseq) to see where editing happens. They also study parasite proteins that bind RNA to turn editing on or off at early checkpoints. Together these methods aim to map the molecular switches the parasite uses to adapt to humans or insects.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal parasite-specific RNA structures or proteins that become new targets for drugs or diagnostics for African sleeping sickness.
How similar studies have gone: Related molecular mapping and chemical-probing methods have worked in other systems and initial data exist, but applying these approaches to developmental RNA editing in Trypanosoma brucei is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Texas A&m Agrilife Research
College Station, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cruz-Reyes, Jorge — Texas A&m Agrilife Research
- Study coordinator: Cruz-Reyes, Jorge
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.