EastBio - Using Bark Compounds to Mitigate Anthelmintic Resistance in Ruminants

Funding

This 4-year PhD project is part of a competition funded by EastBio BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership. This opportunity is open to UK and International students and provides funding to cover tuition fees at the UK rate, plus a stipend to support living costs.

The proportion of international students appointed through the EastBio DTP is capped at 30% by UKRI BBSRC. Please check your eligibility for the UKRI funding via the UKRI Training Grant Terms and Conditions (especially Annex B International Eligibility Criteria for UKRI-funded studentships). Please contact [Email Address Removed] if you are unsure of your fee status.

The Project

Sustainability is at the top of every agenda. To deliver “sustainable food production”, our livestock should be healthy and utilise sustainable resources for productivity. The use of treatments known as anthelmintics has increased livestock productivity over the last 60 years by controlling parasitic disease. However, sustainability is under threat due to global challenges, including antimicrobial resistance, climate change and maintenance of biodiversity. To overcome this threat, it is critical that the rate of productivity and profitability of food production is maintained, without jeopardising livestock health and with minimum drug input into production. This project addresses this by investigating the use of plant compounds to mitigate the consequences of antimicrobial resistance for parasite control in livestock.

Plant secondary metabolites (PSM) disrupt the life cycle of parasites such as nematodes. It has been shown that PSM-rich extracts have a detrimental impact on biological processes such as egg hatching, larvae exsheathment and larval movement. In this project we will focus on egg hatching, which is the most common read-out of egg viability in the environment. A good comprehension of how PSM are affecting hatching could lead to the development of novel anthelmintic strategies. Importantly, it can mitigate the consequences of anthelmintic resistance by achieving egg hatch inhibition in the environment.

As a source of PSM, we will use bark extracts. Tree bark is a low value timber industry by-product, which is rich in PSMs with antiparasitic properties. We have recently shown that bark extracts from UK native trees have a negative effect on the hatching ability of ovine nematodes. As part of an ongoing BBSRC project, we have created an extensive inventory of bark extracts from UK hard and softwood trees that will be used. You will work and characterise crude extracts and isolated compounds, work that will take place at St Andrews University under the guidance of Professor Nick Westwood. You will quantify the contribution of individual PSM (or their effects in combination), on egg hatch inhibition activity. To unravel the mechanisms of action of active compounds and assess their specificity, in vitro, in situ and tissue experiments will be performed at SRUC under the guidance of Professor Spiridoula Athanasiadou. The project is interdisciplinary; the supervisory team, which has worked together before, will provide training and expertise in veterinary parasitology and molecular biology (SRUC - Edinburgh) and chemical biology (University of St Andrews).

Eligibility

Eligibility criteria are available on the EastBio how to apply webpage.

How to Apply

To apply for an EastBio PhD studentship, please follow the guidance on the EastBio how to apply webpage. EastBio can provide you with support for your application and details are available on the webpage.

Informal enquiries about the project and your application should be addressed to the project supervisor, Prof Spiridoula Athanasiadou - [Email Address Removed]

After you have approached the project supervisor and discussed your application with them, you should:

1) Complete the online EastBio Equality, Diversity and Inclusion survey; the survey will automatically generate a unique number that you should copy and paste on the relevant section of your EastBio Application Form.

2) Download and fill in the EastBio Application Form. You can only apply for one EastBio PhD project.

3) Download and send the EastBio Reference Form to your two academic/professional referees, and ask them to submit the references directly to [Email Address Removed] by 17 January 2025

4) Submit your complete application, along with academic transcripts and certificates to [Email Address Removed] by 17 January 2025

If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don't hesitate to contact us at [Email Address Removed]