An interrogation of the Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoite transition using experimental neuron culture methods
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii poses a unique public health threat due to its unique life cycle and global reach. Some estimates place the global infection rate at one in three. This work builds on findings about the relevance of genes Mic13 and Rop28 to the transition between acute and chronic infection. This has been conducted in tandem with efforts to optimize perpetual neuron culture methods utilizing a line of modified neural progenitors. While more work remains, these methods may hold the potential to radically change the research paradigm for both T. gondii and a raft of other neuron-tropic infections and diseases.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Bruno M. Di Genova
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Program/Major
Biology
Primary Research Category
Life Sciences
An interrogation of the Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoite transition using experimental neuron culture methods
Toxoplasma gondii poses a unique public health threat due to its unique life cycle and global reach. Some estimates place the global infection rate at one in three. This work builds on findings about the relevance of genes Mic13 and Rop28 to the transition between acute and chronic infection. This has been conducted in tandem with efforts to optimize perpetual neuron culture methods utilizing a line of modified neural progenitors. While more work remains, these methods may hold the potential to radically change the research paradigm for both T. gondii and a raft of other neuron-tropic infections and diseases.
