James Wasmuth

The goal of Dr. Wasmuth's research is to better understand how parasitic organisms interact with their hosts, primarily at a molecular and genomic level. Using the latest genome sequencing and analysis methods, my research group will identify those regions of the genome, both genes and non-coding elements, that are under pressure to rapidly mutate. These represent evolutionary changes that may have supported the transition from a free-living to a parasitic life strategy. Dr. Wasmuth's research group explores both macro - (between different species) and micro-evolutionary (between individuals of the same species) events. This work will identify new potential drug targets, as well as reveal molecular evolution mechanisms that underpin an organism's adaption to the ecological change.