Flatworm Functional Genomics Initiative

Image: RNA transfection of mother Schistosoma Mansoni sporocysts

FUGI /ˈfuːɡɪ/ noun: Flatworm Functional Genomics Initiative

Parasitic flatworms cause some of the most chronic infectious diseases on our planet. While existing control is primarily based on chemotherapy, there is a real risk that this strategy is unsustainable as parasites become increasingly resistant to the limited drug classes available.

To counter the risk of increasing resistance, flatworm genome sequencing projects are paving the way for the identification of novel drug targets and vaccines. However, the challenge facing researchers mining this genomic information is the lack of suitable tools to effectively characterise the function of flatworm gene products and translate them into urgently needed products.

FUGI will develop transformative functional genomics reagents and make them readily available to the academic research community by deposition in well-curated North American and European repositories. This will drawn on the team's expertise in molecular biology, cell biology and parasitology to create transgenic lines of parasitic flatworms, as well as primary and immortal cell lines, derived from the pathogens.

The new reagents developed by FUGI will enable helminthologists to keep pace with other more tractable areas of infectious disease biology and make a significant contribution to the control of parasites responsible for chronic human and animal diseases.