Post-doctoral Fellow, UCSD

Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

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Draft genome sequences are now available for each of the major human blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma, a landmark event that ushered in the post-genomic era of schistosome research. To date, the schistosome genome is known to contain at least 11,000 protein-encoding genes for which the functions of few are well understood. During my PhD in the laboratory of Dr. Paul J. Brindley at George Washington University my research interest focused on developing functional genomic approaches that could aid in identifying the roles and importance of schistosome genes. The aims of the lab’s studies, to name a few, included the development of retrovirus-mediated transgenesis, the investigation of the vectors for transduction of S. mansoni developmental stages, the development antibiotic selection markers for schistosome transgenesis, and the establishment of a knock-in, knock-out transgenesis of S. mansoni involving heritable RNA interference. At present, my research interests have shifted towards utilizing these functional genomic tools to further investigate the roles of the S. mansoni cercarial elastase (SmCE) expanded gene family. In vivo analysis of the SmCE gene family would provide better insight into their biological function and roles in the host-parasite interaction.