Dr. Janis Weeks is the first to admit her career arc has been anything but traditional. The neuroscientist turned parasite researcher and global health advocate fell in love with Africa on her first visit in 1996, while teaching in a neuroscience short-course. Since then her connections with the African continent have grown, including becoming a […]
Parasitology
Using C. elegans to study parasitism
C. elegans is one of the most powerful model organisms and has been used to unravel several key genetic pathways. The C. elegans nematode has been used in parasitology research due to its high genetic tractability as a model organism. Their use in understanding parasitology is considered mainly due to the ease of in vitro culture, short generation […]
A New Era of Transgenics in Parasitic Nematodes
One of the most commonly known nematodes in the scientific community is Caenorhabditis elegans. Ever since Sydney Brenner introduced it as a model organism to study nervous system, the use of C. elegans in various disciplines of biological research has yielded significant results pertinent to the understanding of cell biology, genetics, developmental biology, and neurobiology. […]
Gastropod shell has been co-opted to kill parasitic nematodes
Robbie Rae from Liverpool John Moores University discussed his latest research on how he showed that snails use their shells to trap and kill parasites in a fascinating article published on the independent news site The Conversation. His study has shown that snails evolved to use their shells in this battle as a way to encapsulate and kill the parasites as part of their immune system.
