The face of parasite biology was forever changed in 1998. The complete genomic sequence of Caenorhabditis elegans was obtained.

It has provided a molecular guide to the obligate biotrophic parasitic nematodes.

Nematodes are the world's most important and ubiquitous multi-cellular parasites, attacking humans, domesticated animals and cultivated crops.

They cause untold levels of economic damage and suffering worldwide and are responsible for many severe human diseases that afflict up to half of the world's population.

Because most important parasitic nematodes are obligate internal parasites, it has, until recently, been very difficult to study their biology and life cycles.

The sequencing of the C. elegans genome, coupled with the wealth of biological information it revealed, has placed parasite nematologists in a unique and powerful position. As never before, it is possible to make inroads into the basic biology of nematode parasites.

The Center for the Biology of Nematode Parasitism stands poised to exploit these opportunities in post-genomic biology. A major goal of this group is to integrate knowledge and research of free-living and parasitic nematodes and to exploit model systems to make strides in understanding the basic mechanism of parasitism.

The experiments and research agendas we are pursuing would have been unthinkable several years ago. The vast complexity of parasite biology, combined with the massive effort necessary to explore basic biological mechanisms across species, demands the scope and scale that only a Center environment can supply.