Invertebrate neurones, genomes, phenotypic and target-based screening; their contributions to the search for new chemical leads and new molecular targets for the control of pests, parasites and disease vectors.

Insect-borne diseases of humans, animals and plants can be devastating. The direct damage to crops by insect and nematode pests can also severely reduce crop yields and threaten harvests. Parasitic nematodes can impair human health and the health of farm livestock. Effective control for all such pests, vectors and pathogens is required as the economic and health burden can be substantial. Insecticides, nematicides and anthelmintics have been at the forefront of control and will remain important in the immediate future, even as we explore new and more sustainable methods to maintain the necessary disease control and the growth in food supply. Many important chemicals deployed for the control of invertebrate disease vectors and pathogens of humans, agricultural crops and farm livestock are active on ion channels, resulting in rapid actions. Understanding their modes of action has been accelerated by studies on the physiology of identifiable invertebrate excitable cells. Nematode and insect genetic model organisms and comparative genomics have contributed to defining the molecular targets of insecticides and anthelmintics, facilitating target-based screening. Automated phenotyping, which allows high-throughput screening of chemical libraries for new and re-purposed compounds, has been increasingly deployed in the search for new molecules of interest. With a growing world population to be fed and a 20-49% loss of global harvest to pests, we need to maintain control of the pests, parasites and pathogens that threaten global food supply and global health.