Completed Infection & Immunity

Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology.

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Parasitic infections in the tropics cause devastating diseases, and a Glasgow-based centre is using a multidisciplinary approach—combining genomics, computer modelling, and advanced imaging—to find new drug targets and vaccine candidates. The centre focuses on two major groups of parasites: apicomplexans (which cause malaria and toxoplasmosis) and trypanosomatids (which cause sleeping sickness and Chagas disease). These parasites have complex life cycles and evade the immune system, making them difficult to treat. The centre’s strength lies in its integration of “polyomics”—the simultaneous analysis of genes, proteins, and metabolites—with computational modelling to predict how parasites behave and how drugs might disrupt them. If successful, this work could lead to the discovery of new drug targets and vaccine candidates, directly addressing the lack of effective treatments for diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people. The centre also trains the next generation of researchers and builds partnerships with institutions in disease-endemic regions, ensuring that findings translate into real-world impact. While much of this research is fundamental science—unravelling the molecular biology of parasites—it lays the groundwork for practical interventions that could save lives.

View original technical description
Modern approaches to parasitological research are multidisciplinary requiring many and varied expertise that a Centre best employs and exploits. Based upon polyomics and extensive bioinformatic/modelling platforms coupled with cutting edge imaging and novel, in house molecular parasitological methodologies the WTCMP will continue to play a leading role in tropical disease research. Primarily focussing on the molecular and cell biology of apicomplexan and trypanosomatid parasites, we address the major problems caused by parasitic infection in the tropics in a setting continuously strengthened by responsive investment in infrastructure and recruitment of promising group leaders. Translation is principally envisaged to be discovery and development of drug targets and vaccine candidates. WTCMP will continue to provide excellent training at pre-and post-graduate levels, mentoring across the career spectrum. WTCMP will accelerate the development of activities and partnerships in disease ende mic regions (DER) notably via the Wellcome Trust Liverpool Glasgow Centre for Global Health (WTLGCGH) initiative providing access to any relevant Glasgow expertise whilst allowing WTCMP-centred clinical engagement. Polyomics (particularly metabolomics) and modelling will be central to DER engagement allowing integration of our interactions with DER into a unified approach. WTCMP outreach will continue to inform the public of our activities and the problems we address.

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Researchers

Andrew Waters (EPMC Awardee)

Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

MRC Centre for Genomics and Global Health
MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis (MRC GIDA)
The Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology
Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research
Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology

Original classification

Wellcome Trust Centre

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