51吃瓜网

Thavy Long obtained her MSc thesis in Genetic and Microbiology and PhD in Cell Biology from University of Lille (France). It was during her PhD with Dr Colette Dissous that she really developed an interest in the molecular and cellular biology of helminths and particularly of Schistosoma mansoni, a parasitic flatworm of humans. Her past project involved studies on protein kinases that regulate the development of reproductive organs and egg production in S. mansoni. She has also led numerous drug discovery and development projects against schistosomes during her postdoc-trainings with Dr. Conor Caffrey and Dr. James McKerrow at UC San Francisco and UC San Diego. Recently, she gained expertise on the biology of filarial parasites including the heartworm Dirofilaria immitis that infects companion animals by investigating the signaling pathways that govern the development of the infective stage. As an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Parasitology, Dr Long is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in immune evasion, developmental processes and metabolism of helminths including trematodes and filarial nematodes, to identify novel targets that could be the basis for new anthelminthics. In addition, her research focuses on developing tools to monitor the spread of drug resistance and elucidating the mechanisms of drug resistance in helminth parasites.