Project description
Harnessing bioactive anti-parasitic compounds in seaweed to fight livestock gastrointestinal disease
Parasitic nematodes (roundworms) cause gastrointestinal disease in grazing livestock with significant impact on meat and dairy production and associated substantial economic costs. The few currently available drug treatments are only partially effective, and widespread resistance is increasing the difficulty of treatment. Feeding the livestock seaweed, shown in vitro to contain polyunsaturated fatty acids with anti-parasitic activity, could be an innovative solution. However, the mechanisms of action have not been characterised. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SeaWeedWorm project will investigate how these fatty acids bind to nematode parasites and which receptors are involved, as well as the biological pathways that are perturbed after exposure.
Objective
Infection with gastrointestinal parasites is one of the most severe impediments to sustainable meat and milk production from grazing livestock. Widespread resistance to the small number of available synthetic drugs has rendered continued prophylactic drug treatment unsustainable. One solution is to feed animals on plants or other natural resources that contain bioactive compounds with anti-parasitic activity, such as seaweeds. The in vitro anti-parasitic activity of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) from seaweeds has been reported, but as yet, the anthelmintic mechanism of PUFAs is unknown. The current proposal aims to use PUFAs from Nordic seaweeds to investigate how PUFAs bind to nematode parasites and target the receptors. Furthermore, transcriptomics and functional biochemical experiments will be used to elucidate the biological pathways that are perturbed in nematodes after exposure to sub-lethal doses of PUFAs in vitro. This unique multidisciplinary project will involve leading groups in both veterinary parasitology and receptor biology and combine the latest techniques in molecular parasitology and drug-receptor biology. It is envisaged that the unique skill sets obtained from the project will be highly beneficial to my future career, as well as uncovering novel insights into the biological properties of PUFAs that will greatly aid the practical future use of PUAFs-containing plants and algae, thus ensuring the continued sustainability of pasture-based livestock production.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology phycology
- medical and health sciences health sciences parasitology
- agricultural sciences animal and dairy science domestic animals animal husbandry
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1165 KOBENHAVN
Denmark
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.