Conference Agenda
Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).
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Daily Overview |
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CP21.1: Cells, Molecules & Genes 4 - 10 min talks Location: Lecture Theatre 1 Session Chair: Andrew Walker, The University of Queensland Session Chair: Natasha Sharma, The University of Melbourne | |
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A spatial–molecular framework for studying host–parasite interactions in a freshwater snail 1: Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia.; 2: School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; 3: Melbourne Integrative Genomics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; 4: Department of Life Science, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, United Kingdom; 5: Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia Understanding how biological processes and interactions unfold within intact organisms requires approaches that link anatomical organisation with spatially resolved molecular information. Although spatially integrated analyses have transformed vertebrate biology, comparable frameworks remain limited for many non-model invertebrates despite their ecological and biomedical importance. Freshwater snails represent a particularly informative system, functioning both as key components of aquatic ecosystems and as intermediate hosts for numerous parasitic organisms. Here we establish an integrated spatial–molecular analytical framework for investigating biological processes within a lymnaeid snail using infection with the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica as a model host–parasite system. The approach combines whole-organism three-dimensional imaging using X-ray microcomputed tomography with serial histopathology, bulk RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomic analysis. Integrating these complementary datasets enables parasite distribution to be examined within the anatomical structure of the host while simultaneously linking tissue pathology with spatially resolved gene transcription patterns. Beyond the present host–parasite system, this framework provides a foundation for investigating a broad range of biological processes in freshwater snails, including environmental responses, neurobiology and host–parasite interactions. | |