Speaker: Prof. John Parkinson, Molecular Structure & Function, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto
Time: 12:00-1:00pm, Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
Place: 177 Stanley Hall
Abstract:
Parasites from multicellular worms to single celled protists represent a
significant global healthcare challenge. Despite their importance, relatively
few effective treatments and vaccines are currently available. Together with
the recent emergence of strains resistant to current drugs, there is an urgent
need to develop new therapeutics. To meet this need, several international
consortia have been initiated to generate vast amounts of sequence data for
many of these parasites. In initial surveys of parasitic nematode (worm) and
apicomplexan (single celled protist) sequence data, we have identified that a
large proportion of sequence innovation within these species occurs at the
level of individual genera. The challenge now is to identify from these
myriads of newly identified genes, those that represent the most effective drug
targets. Preliminary studies exploiting these exceptional sequence resources
together with computational and functional genomics, and proteomics datasets
are beginning to reveal specialized parasite genes and processes required for
the establishment of parasite infections in their hosts, driving new
opportunities for designing potent anti-parasitic strategies. Our lab is
currently focused on a systems-based strategy, exploiting parasite metabolism
to identify critical enzymes and pathways required for mediating parasite
replication and persistence.
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