Say No to Schistosoma

There are many approaches that can help combat not only schistosomiasis, but many infectious diseases, whose genome is sequenced and proteins annotated. Using computational methods or bioinformatics, it is possible to predict or identify molecules that are essential to the survival of these organisms, so they can be then evaluated as drug targets or vaccines. Furthermore, it is also possible to identify whether a drug could interact and inhibit an essential protein of the parasite, in order to kill it or to stop its multiplication. For the design of new drugs, it is very useful to identify molecular targets in microorganisms, and then based on these targets, to design new drugs or evaluate some previously synthesized and used for other purposes. The availability of the complete genome of Schistosoma (http://www.sanger.ac.uk/resources/downloads/helminths/schistosoma-mansoni.html) will facilitate prediction of critical or important gene products, such as those involved in pathways or metabolic essential processes for the Schistosoma parasite.