Chagas disease is a potentially life-threatening parasitic disease that affects  up to 300,000 people in the United States and millions in South America.

The current treatment regimen is--oral benznidazole in smaller twice-daily doses over 2 months.

My guest today and his colleagues say high weekly doses of oral benznidazole over 30 weeks resulted in better clearance of the parasite.

This research is outlined in a recent study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Joining me today is Regents’ Professor in the University of Georgia’s department of cellular biology, Rick Tarleton, PhD.