University of Calgary researchers use AI to hunt new treatments for cattle parasites

In a famous episode of the cult classic TV show Futurama, protagonist Philip J. Fry eats an expired egg salad sandwich and ends up with intestinal worms that fortify his body and turn the slouching anti-hero into a hunky intellectual.

Unfortunately, in the real world, intestinal worms are a much different story. Intestinal parasites like roundworm can cause serious harm, including in the cattle industry, where they weaken immune systems, leach nutrients, and lower the productivity of livestock. New research underway at the University of Calgary might not be able to make roundworms improve their hosts, but it is finding success identifying new treatments for the parasites.

“These parasites are a silent drag on production.”

A team at U of C has secured a $1.4-million grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to further the development and validation of new drugs targeting roundworms in beef cattle.

The project uses AI-based tools to scan for parasites like roundworms and help identify new and effective treatments to eliminate the creatures. Using these tools, researchers can sequence the genomes—in this case of a type of roundworm called helminths—and screen large libraries of chemical compounds to identify those most effective at killing them. From there, identified compounds are tested on live parasites and refined to improve their effectiveness.

“Genomic tools have been a great tool for identifying initial leads, and we’ve already developed several novel compounds that show real efficacy against live parasites while preserving mammalian cells,” said medical chemist and team member, Dr. Darren Derksen.

Parasitic infection is not new to the cattle industry, but years of reliance on a select few traditional antiparasitic drugs have caused an uptick in resistance in both Western Canada and the world, according to Dr. James Wasmuth, who leads the project.

“Producers and veterinarians tell us: we need tools,” said Wasmuth. “These parasites are a silent drag on production…with resistance to drugs rising, we simply don’t have a pipeline of new drugs, and that is what this project aims to change.

With additional funding now in hand, the project will continue its work over the coming years, with a goal of advancing to testing in cattle and eventually exploring the benefits the methodology could offer other livestock sectors, such as sheep and poultry.

BetaKit’s Prairies reporting is funded in part by YEGAF, a not-for-profit dedicated to amplifying business stories in Alberta.

Feature image courtesy Unsplash. Photo by Daniel Quiceno M.