Editing Chagas disease (section)

==Research==
===Treatments===
[[Fexinidazole]], an antiparasitic drug approved for treating [[African trypanosomiasis]], has shown activity against Chagas disease in animal models. As of 2019, it is undergoing [[phase II clinical trial]]s for chronic Chagas disease in Spain.<ref name="Ribeiro2019">{{cite journal |vauthors=Ribeiro V, Dias N, Paiva T, et al |title=Current trends in the pharmacological management of Chagas disease |journal=Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist |volume=12 |pages=7–17 |date=December 2019 |pmid=31862616 |pmc=6928327 |doi=10.1016/j.ijpddr.2019.11.004 |type= Review}}</ref><ref name="Deeks2019">{{cite journal|vauthors= Deeks ED|title=Fexinidazole: First Global Approval|journal=Drugs|volume=79|issue=2|year=2019|pages=215–220|issn=0012-6667|doi=10.1007/s40265-019-1051-6|pmid=30635838|s2cid=57772417|type=Review}}</ref> Other drug candidates include [[GNF6702]], a [[proteasome inhibitor]] that is effective against Chagas disease in mice and is undergoing preliminary toxicity studies, and [[AN4169]], which has had promising results in animal models.<ref name="Vermelho2019">{{cite journal|vauthors=Vermelho AB, Rodrigues GC, Supuran CT|title=Why hasn't there been more progress in new Chagas disease drug discovery?|journal=Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery|volume=15|issue=2|year=2019|pages=145–158|issn=1746-0441|doi=10.1080/17460441.2020.1681394|pmid=31670987|s2cid=207815975}}</ref><ref name="Kratz2019">{{cite journal|vauthors=Kratz JM|title=Drug discovery for Chagas disease: A viewpoint|journal=Acta Tropica|volume=198|year=2019|pages=105107|issn=0001-706X|doi=10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.105107|pmid=31351074|type=Review|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Several experimental vaccines have been tested in animals. In addition to [[subunit vaccine]]s, some approaches have involved vaccination with [[Attenuated vaccine|attenuated]] {{nowrap|''T. cruzi''}} parasites or organisms that express some of the same antigens as {{nowrap|''T. cruzi''}} but do not cause human disease, such as ''[[Trypanosoma rangeli]]'' or ''[[Phytomonas serpens]]''. [[DNA vaccination]] has also been explored. As of 2019, vaccine research has mainly been limited to small animal models.<ref name="Rios2019">{{cite journal|vauthors=Rios LE, Vázquez-Chagoyán JC, Pacheco AO, Zago MP, Garg NJ|title=Immunity and vaccine development efforts against Trypanosoma cruzi|journal=Acta Tropica|volume=200|year=2019|pages=105168|issn=0001-706X|doi=10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.105168|pmid=31513763|pmc=7409534|doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Diagnostic tests===
As of 2018, standard diagnostic tests for Chagas disease were limited in their ability to measure the effectiveness of antiparasitic treatment, as serological tests may remain positive for years after {{nowrap|''T. cruzi''}} is eliminated from the body, and PCR may give false-negative results when the parasite concentration in the blood is low. Several potential [[biomarker]]s of treatment response are under investigation, such as [[immunoassay]]s against specific {{nowrap|''T. cruzi''}} antigens, [[flow cytometry]] testing to detect antibodies against different life stages of {{nowrap|''T. cruzi''}}, and markers of physiological changes caused by the parasite, such as alterations in [[coagulation]] and [[lipid metabolism]].<ref name="Nunes2018"/>

Another research area is the use of biomarkers to predict the progression of chronic disease. Serum levels of [[Tumor necrosis factor|tumor necrosis factor alpha]], [[Ventricular natriuretic peptide|brain]] and [[atrial natriuretic peptide]], and [[angiotensin-converting enzyme 2]] have been studied as indicators of the prognosis of Chagas cardiomyopathy.<ref name="Balouz2017"/>

''T. cruzi'' shed acute-phase antigen (SAPA), which can be detected in blood using [[ELISA]] or Western blot,<ref name="Messenger2018"/> has been used as an indicator of early acute and congenital infection.<ref name="Balouz2017">{{cite journal |vauthors=Balouz V, Agüero F, Buscaglia CA |title=Chagas disease diagnostic applications: present knowledge and future steps |journal=Adv. Parasitol. |volume=97 |pages=1–45 |date=2017 |pmid=28325368 |pmc=5363286 |doi=10.1016/bs.apar.2016.10.001 |type= Review}}</ref> An assay for {{nowrap|''T. cruzi''}} antigens in urine has been developed to diagnose congenital disease.<ref name="Messenger2018"/>