Image
A new study of peptide hormones in the brain of the planarian flatworm, led by Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator Philip Newmark, promises to be useful in battling parasitic disease.
The planarian flatworm Schmidtea mediterranea is renowned for its ability to regenerate a complete organism from a fragment of itself. It is also related to parasitic flatworms responsible for tropical diseases.
The study isolated a neuropeptide that plays an important role in the planarian flatworm's reproductive system, suggesting an approach to treating infection by harmful parasitic flatworms.
Story Source(s)
Related topics: