Phylum-Spanning Neuropeptide GPCR Identification and Prioritization: Shaping Drug Target Discovery Pipelines for Nematode Parasite Control.

Nematode parasites undermine human health and global food security. The frontline anthelmintic portfolio used to treat parasitic nematodes is threatened by the escalation of anthelmintic resistance, resulting in a demand for new drug targets for parasite control. Nematode neuropeptide signalling pathways represent an attractive source of novel drug targets which currently remain unexploited.

In silico analyses of neuropeptide-like protein (NLP) profiles in parasitic nematodes.

Nematode parasite infections cause disease in humans and animals and threaten global food security by reducing productivity in livestock and crop farming. The escalation of anthelmintic resistance in economically important nematode parasites underscores the need for the identification of novel drug targets in these worms. Nematode neuropeptide signalling is an attractive system for chemotherapeutic exploitation, with neuropeptide G-protein coupled receptors (NP-GPCRs) representing the lead targets.

RNA interference dynamics in juvenile Fasciola hepatica are altered during in vitro growth and development.

For over a decade RNA interference (RNAi) has been an important molecular tool for functional genomics studies in parasitic flatworms. Despite this, our understanding of RNAi dynamics in many flatworm parasites, such as the temperate liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica), remains rudimentary. The ability to maintain developing juvenile fluke in vitro provides the opportunity to perform functional studies during development of the key pathogenic life stage.