Biochemistry

Proteases are essential for survival and development of blood-feeding parasites as these enzymes are involved in the digestion of host blood proteins. The project is focused on proteases of cathepsin type from important parasitic arthropods, helminths and protozoa. The aim of the project is to identify and characterize major cathepsins as molecular targets for the development of novel chemotherapeutics. The research includes the following approaches: proteomics, recombinant expression and purification of proteins, enzymology, protein crystallography and molecular modeling.