A new perspective on parasites — Gustavo Baptista joins veterinary college research team

Most people try to avoid parasites. Gustavo Baptista has built his career studying them.

"I love parasites because they do several things differently from us," said Baptista, who recently joined the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine as a research assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology. "When you start learning biology and see what a normal animal cell does, what we don't know is that parasites hijack these same pathways for their benefit. That process is always very curious to me."

Baptista hopes his fascination with these microscopic invaders will drive innovative research that could one day lead to better treatments for animals and humans. By focusing on molecular-level interactions between parasites and their hosts, he's exploring new frontiers in our understanding of these clever organisms.

Ira Blader '93, professor and department head of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, who previously worked with Baptista at the University at Buffalo, sees tremendous potential in his research.

"Gustavo brings outstanding skills in molecular parasitology and a creative approach to understanding host-parasite interactions," said Blader. "Having worked with him at Buffalo, I've seen firsthand his ability and drive to develop innovative approaches in his research. We're fortunate to have him join our team."  

First-generation scientist follows his curiosity

Baptista's journey in science began in a small town in the Brazilian countryside, far from the research laboratories where he now works.

“I'm the first generation in my family with a higher education degree,' Baptista said. “For some reason, I always had that affinity for biology and chemistry, which started driving me to science.”

This early passion led him to the University of São Paulo, where he earned his PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology. 

His research path then took him from Brazil to the University at Buffalo, where he spent six years as a research scholar before joining Virginia Tech in September 2024.

"When I got an offer to move to Virginia Tech and get the research assistant professor position, it was a no-brainer decision to come," he said. "It was a promotion, but also a better position with more independence, more independent thinking, and a new environment to grow."

From medical school to veterinary medicine- a broader vision

For Baptista, joining a veterinary college after working in a medical school environment has changed how he thinks about his research. 

"Before, everything was focused on humans, and you are not looking for anything else," he said. "Moving to a veterinary school is interesting because you can start having more contact with other species. What is research like in dogs, cats, horses, and other small and large animals? Being exposed to that new view expands my view of research."

This shift has expanded his scientific horizons in unexpected ways.

"I don't need to study my parasite just for human interest. There are other fields to be interested in," Baptista said. "It opens the doors for new, unknown things. That, ultimately, is what drives my curiosity. I want to see what we still don't know."

Understanding Toxoplasma, the shape-shifting parasite 

Baptista's research focuses on Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular parasite that can infect humans and animals, including cats. His work investigates how this parasite adapts to different environments by changing its proteins.

"Throughout its life cycle, the parasite has many developmental stages," he explained. "The stage the parasite replicates in humans is different from the parasite stage in the cat, which is the definitive host, where the parasite does sexual reproduction."

"My ultimate goal is to understand how the parasite adapts to so many species by changing its proteome, which is the set of proteins," Baptista said. "The cell can do two things: make new proteins and degrade old proteins. I study one of the complex proteins that play a role in protein degradation." 

This basic research has important implications for both human and animal health. While Toxoplasma infections are often asymptomatic in healthy individuals, they can cause serious complications in immunocompromised patients or pregnant women. 

"Luckily for us, healthy individuals are fine,” Baptista said. “They can carry the parasite cysts in their organs for their whole life, causing little to no problem, as long as they stay healthy."

However, current treatments cannot eliminate the parasite, highlighting the need for research into new therapeutic approaches.

"Understanding how the parasite degrades proteins might pave a path to important therapeutic targets," said Baptista.

CRISPR, precision tools for parasite research 

A key component of Baptista's research is using CRISPR -- clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats -- gene editing technology to investigate parasite gene function.

"When you use CRISPR, you can knock out the gene, which removes the gene from the parasite genome," he explains. "Then you can see what happens to the parasite without this gene."

This approach allows researchers to quickly identify which genes are essential for parasite survival, helping to prioritize targets for potential drug development.

"If the gene is essential, the parasite dies," Baptista says. "CRISPR gives that in a very fast and precise way. It really changes many fields in research, not just in parasites." 

Building a lab and mentoring the next generation

Baptista is energized by the opportunity to establish his own research laboratory at the veterinary college and mentor the next generation of scientists.

"The next step is to get my own space, my lab, and start developing my research independently," he said. "And then bring undergrads, but also grad students, and maybe one day, some postdocs as well."

For Baptista, the mentoring relationship is significant. 

"I'm looking forward to the position so I can be the mentor," he said. "It's not only contributing by something that I wrote in a paper, magazine, or a journal but now also helping a person one-on-one. That human interaction, the relationship between mentor and mentee, is the one I like."

Having benefited from strong mentorship throughout his career, Baptista values the collaborative nature of scientific research.

"It's the network that matters," Baptista said. "Because we can never do everything and are not great in everything. So, let's focus on what we do best and collaborate with people who are great at other things."

Currently living in Roanoke with his spouse, Baptista looks forward to eventually relocating to Blacksburg. He's already enjoying the region's natural beauty and the college town atmosphere. 

"What I have explored of the city, I like, love it," he said. "The small town and college town combination is just charming."

With his passion for discovery, commitment to mentorship, and specialized expertise in molecular parasitology, Baptista isn't just studying parasites — he's building bridges between human and veterinary medicine that could benefit both fields.