Bioinformatics training on Schistosomiasis, malaria, leishmaniasis, Chaga's

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This proposal represents a collaborative training partnership between researchers at the University of Georgia, the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-FIOCRUZ in Rio de Janeiro and the Centro de Pesquisas Rene Rachou - FIOCRUZ in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The CPqRR currently has 15 laboratories and 3 funded NIH grants (A training grant in emerging and re-emerging diseases, an ICIDR grant on host genetic correlates in schistosomiasis and a grant on the genetic architecture of heart disease in rural Brazil". The goal of this training proposal is to establish a sustainable core infrastructure at the CPqRR in the areas of bioinformatics, epidemiology and molecular evolution that will complement existing NIH funded research and facilitate research conducted in other laboratories. The focus of research at the CPqRR is tropical parasites, their vectors and their hosts. These organisms include: Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania sp., Schistosoma mansoni, Anopheles, Biomphalaria and Humans. This proposal is designed to meet the needs of the CPqRR by initiating a 5-year targeted training program that involves pre-and post-doctoral students from many of the 15 laboratories at the CPqRR. Advanced training will be conducted via workshops, courses, short- and long-term training both within Brazil and abroad. Training will involve collaborative research projects originating from the needs of the CPqRR and focusing on several aspects of schistosomiasis. The unifying project for this training will be the creation of a Schistosoma genome relational database housed and served from the CPqRR. Training conducted will include in systems management, web design, networking, algorithms, PERL programming, proteomics, bioinformatics, databases, GIS/GPS, statistics and phylogenetics. Projects supported will relate to genome sequencing, transcriptome analysis, polymorphism detection, genome annotation, microarray analysis, genome database development, identification of drug targets, identification of vaccine targets, genetic epidemiology, georeferencing and GIS for the prediction of disease transmission sites, phylogenomics and population genetics, among others. The technology and knowledge acquired from this training and implementation exercise will be directly applicable to research on other parasitic organisms. We will proactively seek out well qualified candidates for training that have a strong desire to return and contribute their newly acquired expertise to the continuation of a local training center of excellence.