Establishing and exploiting T. cruzi genomic diversity for multi-cruzi diagnostics

T.cruzi genetic diversity is consensually structured into 6 Discrete Typing Units (DTUs), named TcI to TcVI. These DTUs represent metapopulations with rich and largely sub explored genetic diversity. As a matter of fact, only three high quality genomes (two TcI and 1 TcII) are currently available publicly. At the same time, we are sorely lacking a serological gold standard for the diagnosis of infection with T. cruzi. While available serological tools generally give satisfactory results in South America, they often fail to detect infection in Central and North America. This fact may be related to a lack of understanding of the scientific community of the genetic diversity of the parasite, which limits all downstream applications in drug target identification and diagnostics. To design accurate diagnostic tools, it is essential to capture the genetic diversity of T. cruzi across its endemic area. To this aim, we will generate high-quality reference genomes for samples from all DTUs. We will then look for antigens and epitopes that are highly conserved across the whole diversity of T. cruzi, providing improved targets for serological diagnostic enhancement.