Improved blood tests to diagnose congenital Chagas disease and identify parasite types
Official title: Development of Improved Serological Diagnostic and Parasite Genotyping Tools for Congenital Chagas Disease
Funded at Tulane University of Louisiana · NIH-11448670 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aims to make better, more reliable blood tests for babies born to mothers with Chagas disease by using parasite markers and DNA tools.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tulane University of Louisiana NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Orleans, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2019 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $596,119 |
| NIH project number | 2R01HD094955-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11448670 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Babies born to mothers with Chagas disease and individuals with suspected infection in the Americas, including regions with varying parasite strains.
✕Less likely to help
If antibody responses are highly variable or access to advanced testing is limited, some patients may not benefit immediately.
What this research studies
Chagas disease can be hard to diagnose, especially in babies and chronic cases, so this project develops better antibody-based tests and parasite DNA methods. Researchers have found new parasite pieces that improve detection and are testing them across multiple sites in the Americas. They also work on ways to read parasite DNA from samples with very little parasite, which could allow direct testing from patients. The study will explore how human genetics may affect antibody recognition and push toward high-quality parasite genomes from infections. If successful, these tools could lead to faster, more accurate diagnosis and better targeting of treatment for affected children.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to faster, more accurate diagnosis of congenital Chagas disease and better tools for managing infection.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work showed improved detection with conserved epitopes and enhanced genome recovery from low-parasitemia samples.
Where this research is happening
-
Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Herrera, Claudia P — Tulane University of Louisiana
- Study coordinator: Herrera, Claudia P
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.