Clemson researchers ID protein function in parasites that cause sometimes fatal diseases

(Clemson University) In the quest to develop more effective treatments for parasitic diseases, scientists look for weaknesses in the organisms' molecular machinery. A team of College of Science researchers at Clemson recently contributed to that understanding by discovering the function of a specific protein in the three related parasites that cause African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis -- diseases that are sometimes fatal and afflict millions worldwide.