At Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University we use a nematode about a millimetre long to study genetics, to train new researchers, and to test plant extracts for biological activity.
We study the basic genetics of Caenorhabditis elegans, a free-living nematode that is not parasitic and not pathogenic, so it can be kept safely on simple agar plates.
Since 2018 the lab has run demonstrations and lectures at CVASU, preparing the first batch of C. elegans researchers in Bangladesh.
Since 2023 the team has been developing extraction protocols suited to high-throughput screening, to find beneficial biological activity in extracts from medicinal plants.
Parasitic worms, or helminths, continue to be a major public health concern worldwide, affecting millions of people, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Helminth infections, caused by parasitic worms, continue to affect millions of people worldwide, especially in regions with limited access to modern healthcare.
“The idea of establishing Bangladesh's first dedicated C. elegans lab was conceived in a hotel room in the spring of 2017 in Florida, USA.”
2024
Rakib MRJ, Sarker A, Nahida ZT, Islam ARMT, Mia MY, Rahman MN, Ahsan SM, Idris AM, Nguyen MK, Kumar R, Malafaia G
Environ Monit Assess. 2024 Nov 7;196(12):1175
2024
Chowdhury D, Nayeem M, Vanderven HA, Sarker S
Viruses. 2024 Jul 9;16(7):1102
2023
Kamal M, Mukherjee S, Joshi B, Sindhu ZU, Wangchuk P, Haider S, Ahmed N, Talukder MH, Geary TG, Yadav AK
Mol Biochem Parasitol. 2023 Dec;256:111594
If you are interested to learn about C. elegans, join our team or are just curious, drop by in our lab at CVASU or shoot us an email!