Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
About 1.5 billion people in the world are infected with soil-transmitted helminths, especially those who live in high poverty areas. These infections affect communities with poor access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene in tropical and subtropical areas, keeping them in a state of poverty. Our research focuses on drugs that target the parasitic worms currently approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO currently only has 4 approved drugs for Mass Drug Administration, due to low profit margins, complex parasite life cycles, and rising drug resistance (World Health Organization 2023). While Mebendazole is effective against many common parasitic worms, its effectiveness can vary by species and individuals who are affected. C. elegans, a free living nematode, are used as a model organism of parasitic worms as they are very similar (in the same phylum) and have a long, well-documented history in research due to their minimal nutritional needs, making them easier to maintain, their large progeny via self-fertilization, and their small size. Additionally, C. elegans life cycle is typically 14-21 days, or 1 to 2 weeks after egg-laying, providing a convenient time frame for research (Dahlberg et al. 9). Our research is trying to elucidate the effectiveness of Mebendazole at varying concentrations, in the L4 lifestage of C. elegans. This allows for further analysis and determination of the efficacy of Mebendazole to better confirm its treatment effects. The findings in our research has shown that the health of the worm decreases in a dose dependent manner.
Faculty Mentor
Brian Ellis
Recommended Citation
Brewer, Brooke and Al-saweily, Saja, "Investigating the Efficacy of Mebendazole on C. elegans: Implications for Anthelmintic Drug Development" (2025). Student Scholar Symposium. 40.
https://digitalcollections.lipscomb.edu/student_scholars_symposium/2025/Full_schedule/40
Included in
Investigating the Efficacy of Mebendazole on C. elegans: Implications for Anthelmintic Drug Development
About 1.5 billion people in the world are infected with soil-transmitted helminths, especially those who live in high poverty areas. These infections affect communities with poor access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene in tropical and subtropical areas, keeping them in a state of poverty. Our research focuses on drugs that target the parasitic worms currently approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO currently only has 4 approved drugs for Mass Drug Administration, due to low profit margins, complex parasite life cycles, and rising drug resistance (World Health Organization 2023). While Mebendazole is effective against many common parasitic worms, its effectiveness can vary by species and individuals who are affected. C. elegans, a free living nematode, are used as a model organism of parasitic worms as they are very similar (in the same phylum) and have a long, well-documented history in research due to their minimal nutritional needs, making them easier to maintain, their large progeny via self-fertilization, and their small size. Additionally, C. elegans life cycle is typically 14-21 days, or 1 to 2 weeks after egg-laying, providing a convenient time frame for research (Dahlberg et al. 9). Our research is trying to elucidate the effectiveness of Mebendazole at varying concentrations, in the L4 lifestage of C. elegans. This allows for further analysis and determination of the efficacy of Mebendazole to better confirm its treatment effects. The findings in our research has shown that the health of the worm decreases in a dose dependent manner.