NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) for FY 2013 in Singapore

Wilcox Justin J, South Bend IN

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds Justin Wilcox of the University of Notre Dame to conduct a research project in Biology during the summer of 2013 at Duke-NUS Medical school in Singapore. The project title is "Exploring the Role of Parasitic Worms in Enzoic Disease Transmission." The host scientists are Dr. Gavin Smith and Dr. Ian Mendenhall. Parasitic worms (i.e. helminthes) are known to increase the pathology and transmission of several important diseases (including HIV infection, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis C) through modulation of host immunity during simultaneous coinfection. However, the commonality of such interactions between helminthes and micropathogens is not well known due to uncertainties regarding the mechanisms of immune modulation by parasitic worms. To address this shortcoming, this project is exploring the importance of different types of helminth infection to microparasite immunity in a wild population of long-tailed macaques living in close association with humans in Singapore. Through the comparative assessment of immunomodulatory abilities of different helminthes, the results may ultimately allow for new insights into the control of infectious disease, and the use of helminthes in the treatment of autoimmune disease. Broader impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce. This study will be directly relevant to the management of non-human primate populations by identifying their capacity to act as a reservoir for important human pathogens, and factors that increase or decrease this reservoir potential. The findings are being presented to the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame, and prepared for publication in a peer reviewed journal.