PhD student awarded $5,000 scholarship to study in Europe
Press release
20 January 2009
A postgraduate student researching the molecular make up of worm parasites that affect billions of humans and animals worldwide has won the prestigious Dr Sue Newton scholarship for 2009.
Cinzia Cantacessi, from Italy, will use the $5,000 award to travel to Belgium where she will further her research at the laboratory of Dr Peter Geldhof, a leader in the field.
The 26-year-old PhD student at the University of Melbourne’s School of Veterinary Science was selected for the prize for her investigation into the structure and function of a class of molecules that is important for the establishment of parasitism in some species of nematodes (hookworms and other blood-sucking worms).
This was an area in which Dr Newton worked at length.
“I am very honoured and excited about this scholarship because it will allow me to extend my work internationally and gives me the opportunity to meet and work with peer scientists in the parasitology field,” she said.
Soil-transmitted worms affect around three billion people worldwide and are responsible for serious adverse effects on human health, particularly in children.
Other worms, such as the barber’s pole worm, are recognised as a major constraint to livestock production as a result of clinical and subclinical forms of disease.
It is estimated that more than US$2 billion is lost annually in productivity and the World Health Organisation estimated in 2007 that a further US$1.7 billion is spent each year on treatment and control strategies.
Traditionally nematodes have been treated with drugs, but there is a risk human nematodes could develop genetic resistance to these, while for blood-feeding nematodes there has been a focus on developing vaccines.
However, Ms Cantacessi, who has carried out her research under the guidance of Professor Robin Gasser, hopes that by further understanding their molecular makeup new ways of killing them will be discovered.
She plans to travel to Europe in October for a month to work alongside Dr Geldhof in his Ghent laboratory based in Belgium, where he has already performed several studies on this class of molecules in parasitic nematodes.
Together, they will analyse a huge number of amino acid and nucleotide sequences that belong to a variety of eukaryote (animal, plant and fungi) species, which Ms Cantacessi has collected from different databases.
This will enable them to classify those molecules, which will lead to a better understanding of the relationships existing among ‘similar’ molecules isolated from different eukaryote systems. It will also help parasitologists to better address their research towards the investigation of the molecules’ specific function in parasitic nematodes.
“I have always been amazed by the world of parasites and parasitism so receiving a scholarship dedicated to Dr Sue Newton is a great honour,” said Ms Cantacessi.
“Although I never had the pleasure to meet her personally, her work is an amazing contribution to parasitology all over the world and she represents a great example for young scientists who want to pursue a high standard scientific career in this field.”
She receives her scholarship from Professor Ken Hinchcliff, Dean of the Melbourne School of Veterinary Science, at a luncheon on Wednesday 21 January.
For further information please contact the Marketing Manager, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne, Tel: 8344 7844 or email: vet-communications@unimelb.edu.au