Tillämpning av nästa generations sekvenseringsteknologier (NGS) för att hitta botemedel för behandling och prevention av filariasis Using Next Generation Sequencing Technologies (NGS) to find a cure for Human and Cattle Filariasis. Lymphatic filariasis is the 2nd most common cause of permanent and long term disability in the world. In Sri Lanka approximately 50% of the population (9.8 million people) is at risk of contracting bancroftian filariasis. Permanent and long term disability as well as acute attacks of filariasis affects the productivity of persons and causes loss of income. Currently no vaccine is available for human filarisis. There are only two drugs available for treating human lymphatic filariasis: The worm Wuchereria bancrofti is responsible for approximately 115 million cases and approximately 13 million is caused by Brugia malayi. Although W. bancrofti is the major causative organism, very little is known about the molecular biology, biochemistry and immune mechanisms of this parasite. W. bancrofti cannot be maintained in the laboratory and this is an impediment for testing new treatment forms in laboratory conditions. The project described in this proposal proposes the use of a cattle filarial parasite, Setaria digitata, as the model organism. This project will sequence and annotate the complete genome of Setaria digitata using NGS tecnologies. Work that will allow the identification of genes susceptible to drugs. Next Generation Sequencing technologies are revolutionizing the way we do research in the Life Sciences field. This project will deploy a permanent stand alone bioinformatics platform in Colombo and traini researchers iand students in the use of it. *Finding a cure for filariasis in humans and cattle* Lymphatic filariasis is a disease commonly known as elephantiasis and is caused by a parasite. This disease affects mostly people in developing countries. In Sri Lanka alone approximately 50% of the population (9.8 million people) is at risk of being infected and develop this disease. The disease causes deformities in people making them unable to work normally, this affects the productivity of the affected persons and causes loss of income. The fight against this disease is a fight against poverty in developing countries. Even more significant is the social stigma that goes with the disease (Elephantiasis). There is no vaccine against elephantiasis and only two known drugs that can combat this disease. The scientific name for the worm causing elephantiasis is Wuchereria bancrofti (W. bancrofti) The biggest problem for scientists to find cures against the disease is that W. bancrofti is almost impossible to keep alive in laboratory conditions. For that reason a close relative of this worm: Setaria digitata, that causes filariasis in cattle, can be used as a model for studies as this worm can be cultivated in laboratory conditions. Medical research is experiencing a revolution in the field of sequencing (reading) the genetic code of any organism using the so called Next Generation Sequencing technologies (NGS) at incredible speed and very low costs. In this case the sequence of a W. bancrofti genome is already publicly available. This will facilitate the planned comparative studies between these to related worms. It is of great value to also have the genetic code of the Setaria digitata as every gene discovery will be possible to test in the laboratories. The work will be mainly done using the power of modern computers and work that took decades in the past will take just a few years with the new bioinformatics tools available. Bioinformatics is a new science that fuses computational and biological sciences. The goal of this project is to produce the complete genome sequence of Setaria digitata and in this way allow the scientists to design new drugs and test them first in laboratory conditions and ultimately test if it works against the human elephantiasis. I will also allow the training and capacitation of a whole generation of Srilankan scientists in the use of modern bioinformatics tools.