Clement CORMERAIS

Parasitic nematodes are the most common infectious agents of humans in developing countries. A limited number of drugs are available, but the search for new molecules is time consuming and costly. One solution is to “reposition” available and efficient veterinary drugs, such as Oxfendazole, for human use in filariasis. Oxfendazole targets microtubules, essential components of the cell, and displays an intriguing specificity towards nematode tubulin. We want to investigate how Oxfendazole works: What concentrations are effective on parasite development without negatively impacting mammalian tubulins? How can the specificity of Oxfendazol be explained? What does the tubulin network look like after treatment? How are other actors, like the symbiotic bacteria Wolbachia, impacted? Answering these questions will help the repositioning of this much needed drug to eradicate filarial diseases.