New Hope for a Neglected Disease
Two Cummings School researchers studying schistosomiasis find molecules that may hold the key to a cure
Molecular Helminthology Laboratory
The Molecular Helminthology Laboratory at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University is run by Dr. Patrick Skelly in collaboration with Dr. Charles Shoemaker. The laboratory exploits modern molecular biology tools to investigate, primarily, the interaction of helminth parasites with their hosts, and is currently engaged in a variety of projects involving worms of medical and veterinary importance that belong primarily to the phylum Platyhelminthes.
Schistosomes Project
Schistosomes, a genus of trematodes, currently infect several hundred million people globally. The World Health Organization estimates that hundreds of thousands of people die of schistosomiasis each year and about a billion people are at risk of exposure. Schistosomes also infect livestock and cause serious economic hardship in many third-world nations. The disease is characterized by the presence of adult worms, or blood flukes, within the host's vascular system. These worms, living as male-female pairs, can survive for many years during which time the female produces hundreds of eggs per day. The primary damage caused by schistosome infection arises from the host's immune response to parasite eggs within host tissues. For more information on schistosomiasis, please see the CDC Schistosomiasis page.
The Molecular Helminthology Laboratory principally studies the host-parasite interface with the goal of better understanding how these remarkable worms can thrive within immune-competent mammalian hosts for years, even decades. It is anticipated that this knowledge will contribute to new ways to prevent and treat blood fluke diseases.
For more information about the Molecular Helminthology Laboratory's research with this model species please see the Schistosome Project.
BioEssays
Why Do Intravascular Schistosomes Coat Themselves in Glycolytic Enzymes?
Intravascular parasitic flatworms called schistosomes express normally cytosolic, glycolytic enzymes on their external surface. In this contribution, the enzymes are hypothesized to engage in novel (nonglycolytic) “moonlighting” functions such as immune modulation and blood clot dissolution to promote parasite survival. For more, read the full article by David Pirovich et al. here: https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.201900103.
News
The Most Important Disease You’ve Never Heard Of
A handful of labs in the world, including one at Tufts’ veterinary school, hunt for a cure for a debilitating parasitic infection that afflicts over 200 million people
Laboratory Personnel
- Sreemoyee Acharya
- Akram Da’darah
- Roshni Gondane
- Catherine Nation
- David Pirovich
- Charles Shoemaker
- Patrick Skelly
- Jacque Tremblay
