UMD Students Researching Deadly Disease

Local students are conducting research to help cure a disease that’s known as one of the top five killers in the world.

Chaagas Disease, commonly found in Latin America, is transmitted by bugs and can damage the heart and nervous system.

At the University of Minnesota Duluth Medical School students are studying the parasites life stages to determine its vulnerable spots which can help other researches create drugs that will effectively wipe it out.

“These tropical diseases are going to be a common, might be a common issue all around the world,” UMD student researcher Murat Kalem said. “So it’s really important to understand the basic biology of that.”

The students are also publishing a paper on their findings .