Establishing Acanthamoeba as a modern model parasite for infectious disease biology and comparative metabolism by defining mitochondrial proteins and pathways
Description: PROJECT NARRATIVE Protozoan parasites collectively impact nearly one billion people per year globally and are spreading due to climate change, but current drug treatments for protozoan parasite infections are limited by toxicity or drug resistance. This project aims to nominate novel potential parasite drug targets by defining unique biochemical pathways and proteins in parasite mitochondria, here focusing on the pathogenic amoeba Acanthamoeba castellanii, which can cause infectious blindness in contact lens users or fatal brain infections in people with weakened immune systems. This work promises to reveal new fundamental biology and to set the stage for future biomedical translation and readiness for fighting emerging infectious protozoan parasites.
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Amount: $179,100
Funding type: career_development
Funder scheme: K08
Start date: 2025-08-08
End date: 2030-07-31
Investigator: JONATHAN ALLAN STEFELY
Institution: MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
Funded outputs count: 4
Funder award ID: 1k08ai193194-01
OpenAlex ID: G9000856483