Developing heartworm diagnostics towards improved understanding of infection risk and disease preparedness

Heartworm (HW) is a zoonotic, mosquito-borne infection of dogs. Caused by the nematode Dirofilaria immitis, HW causes congestive heart failure in dogs, and pulmonary/subcutaneous dirofilariasis in humans. HW is largely restricted to warmer regions where competent mosquito vectors reside. Global heating increases the risk of these species entering the UK, potentially increasing UK HW infection risk.

This project will take a multi-disciplinary approach (involving ecology, molecular bioscience, diagnostic development and industrial drug discovery) to addressing the risk of HW in the UK, using (i) ecological approaches to understand the current status of, and ecological drivers behind, HW risk in the UK; and (ii) molecular methods to develop enhanced diagnostic approaches, contributing to our preparedness to detect and treat HW infections.

The successful student will work with the supervisory team to develop targeted survey/questionnaire approaches to gather data on the understanding of HW risk amongst UK stakeholders (dog owners, veterinary surgeons, related organisations). The student will also sample for competent mosquito species at key locations around UK/Ireland. This will build a picture of the current baseline of stakeholder understanding and vector competency for HW transmission in the UK. Detecting HW in dogs is hindered by sub-optimal diagnostics, impacting our preparedness to deal with HW infections if they enter the UK. This project will contribute to diagnostic development, using multi-omics techniques to detect circulating RNA/DNA/protein biomarker profiles in dogs. This aspect benefits from a CASE partner, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA (BIAH), who will facilitate this work by providing plasma samples collected longitudinally from HW infected dogs. The successful student will also be offered a 3-month placement with BIAH’s team in Athens, GA (USA), where they will work directly with the stakeholder in a state-of-the-art drug/biomarker discovery environment to test their newly-developed assays for ability to provide real-time monitoring of infection status in blood/biofluid samples.

The student will be primarily based in McVeigh’s lab at QUB (www.mcveighlab.org), with time spent in Aberystwyth University and at BIAH. The project supervisors are experienced researchers, who already collaborate on multiple successful projects. We pursue supportive, collegial environments in our laboratories, ensuring a fertile learning environment for this CDT studentship. McVeigh’s lab at QUB is a busy, diverse, supportive environment, housing two PDRAs, five PhD students and multiple undergraduate researchers. We are part of a parasitology ecosystem of nine academics and >20 PGR students supported by five major DTP/CDT funding programmes. We are based in a recently built £35M research centre, containing state of the art facilities for molecular life science research. The project will include placement with BIAH’s Future Innovation Parasitology team in Athens, GA, USA, which will expose student to a state-of-the-art biology-led drug discovery environment, and provide first-hand input on the progress of the project towards fulfilling the needs of BIAH’s specific research questions.

Duration: 3.5 years full-time (or up to 7 years part-time)

Start Date: October 2023

How to apply: By 1 May 2023 all applications must be submitted online via: https://dap.qub.ac.uk/portal/user/u_login.php (Specify in the funding section that you wish to be considered for UKRI OneZoo funding). Please specify that you are applying for this particular project and name the supervisor.

You must also by 1 May 2023 send the following to [Email Address Removed] (title of the email must include the name of the host institution to which you are applying, e.g. Queen's University Belfast, and the surname of the principal supervisor):

• Completed OneZoo CDT application form
• Completed OneZoo Equal Opportunities form
• 2 page CV
• Copy of passport photo page

If not successful in being shortlisted for this particular studentship you could be considered for other studentships within the OneZoo program.

It is expected that interviews will be held around the end of May 2023.

General Information:

Our transdisciplinary OneZoo CDT will equip the next generation of world-leading scientists with the skills and insight necessary to tackle current and future zoonotic threats. To design successful, innovative environmental prevention and control strategies, zoonotic drivers need to be understood through an integrated approach. As part of the OneZoo program you will build an in-depth understanding of the connectivity between key drivers of pathogen host shifts, spillover and onward transmission; exploring pathogen, environmental and human societal processes that can promote zoonotic disease and form the basis of integrated solutions. Our award-winning educators and experts in zoonotic diseases and environmental sciences, from Cardiff University, Aberystwyth University, Queen’s University Belfast, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, will work collectively, fostering creation of the OneZoo research community, and empowering students to develop their own training to acquire strong employability skills. This CDT offers an unprecedented level of diversity and transdisciplinarity.

Queen’s University: Research within the School of Biological Sciences contributes to the underlying biological mechanisms of life and disease, seeking to deliver new solutions with major economic, societal and environmental impact. Through our research-led teaching, we will inspire and train new generations of researchers, equipping our graduates with the skills and understanding needed to contribute to research, the knowledge-based economy and wider society. https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofBiologicalSciences/

Our reputation: Queen’s University research has been rated joint 1st= in the UK Research Excellence Framework for Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science and 4th= in the UK for Health and Biomedical Sciences.