UTEP researchers test new, more reliable method to detect chagas disease

EL PASO, Texas (March 20, 2025) – Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have successfully tested a faster, more sensitive and reliable way to diagnose Chagas disease, a debilitating parasitic illness that affects approximately 6 million people worldwide. The results of the new study were recently published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

While Chagas disease is highly prevalent across Latin America — from Mexico to Argentina — its diagnosis remains challenging due to the extensive geographic variability of parasite strains, explained Priscila Silva Grijo Farani, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in UTEP’s Almeida lab who led the study.

Chagas disease, Farani said, progresses in two stages: an ‘acute’ phase lasting 4-5 weeks, during which patients typically do not experience specific symptoms, and a ‘chronic’ phase that can persist for decades, leading to severe heart and gastrointestinal complications.

“Chagas disease is a real conundrum when it comes to diagnosis,” said Farani. “Patients in the acute phase typically do not have symptoms when the parasitic load is highest in the bloodstream. But when the symptoms do manifest in the chronic phase, the parasitic load is much lower and harder to detect in blood samples.”

Working with Igor Almeida, Ph.D., a UTEP biological sciences professor who specializes in Chagas disease research, Farani tested a new diagnostic method against the standard diagnostic tool for Chagas disease. Both methods rely on extracting parasitic DNA from blood samples.

Using the new method, Farani mixed blood samples with guanidine-EDTA, a substance that breaks down blood cells and ensures parasite DNA is released and preserved. She then added magnetic beads specifically designed to bind to DNA, allowing for efficient extraction and analysis of parasitic genetic material. While magnetic beads have been used for detection of a number of diseases, Farani’s research marks the first time the bead method has been applied to the detection of Chagas disease.

The standard method for filtering genetic material from blood typically relies on a silica column, which captures DNA and other molecules. Farani explained that, compared to the silica columns, the magnetic beads yielded a higher quantity of pure DNA and significantly enhanced the sensitivity of parasite detection in blood samples, making them a more reliable indicator of parasites in the blood.

“This research marks a significant advancement, especially for patients in the chronic phase, where reliable parasite detection remains a major challenge,” Farani said. “As a postdoctoral researcher dedicated to improving infectious disease diagnostics, I was thrilled to coordinate this project.”

The diagnostic research is part of a broader effort at UTEP to combat Chagas disease. This includes a clinical trial of Chagas chemotherapeutic treatments recently concluded in Bolivia and vaccines developed by the Almeida and Maldonado labs, which have been patented and are progressing toward the first-ever clinical trial of Chagas disease vaccine candidates.

"Dr. Farani’s more sensitive approach to DNA extraction represents a significant advancement in Chagas disease diagnostics. Her work has the potential to greatly enhance early detection and improve patient therapeutic outcomes, particularly for those in the chronic phase when accurate diagnosis is most challenging," said Almeida.

Farani is set to join UTEP’s School of Pharmacy as an Assistant Professor, where she will continue her research on developing improved diagnostic tools and treatment strategies for Chagas disease patients. Additional coauthors on the study include Jacqueline Lopez – former UTEP undergraduate student who conducted most of the experiments – and Drs. Otacilio Moreira and Amanda Faier at the Fiocruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

About The University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 25,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 171 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.