Parasite Genome Projects and the Trypanosoma cruzi Genome Initiative

• Main Authors: Wim Degrave, Mariano J Levin, José Franco da Silveira, Carlos M Morel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde 1997-11-01
• Series: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.
• Subjects: Trypanosoma cruzi; clone CL Brener; Parasite Genome Projects
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02761997000600023

Since the start of the human genome project, a great number of genome projects on other "model" organism have been initiated, some of them already completed. Several initiatives have also been started on parasite genomes, mainly through support from WHO/TDR, involving North-South and South-South collaborations, and great hopes are vested in that these initiatives will lead to new tools for disease control and prevention, as well as to the establishment of genomic research technology in developing countries. The Trypanosoma cruzi genome project, using the clone CL-Brener as starting point, has made considerable progress through the concerted action of more than 20 laboratories, most of them in the South. A brief overview of the current state of the project is given