Investigation of the interaction and molecular mechanism between parasitic nematodes and brain neuronal cells 2025/7/1 - 2025/9/31 Angiostrongylus cantonensis, also called the rat lungworm, is a parasitic nematode that has significant public health implications. It is the major causative agent of eosinophilic meningitis and meningoencephalitis in non-permissive hosts. Currently, therapeutic strategies for cerebral angiostrongyliasis remain controversial.

This short-term project aims to investigate the regulatory mechanisms between mouseastrocytes and Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection:
1. Examine the interaction between Th2 immune response-related cytokines in astrocytes and excretory-secretory products (ESPs) of A. cantonensis and clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms.
2. Investigate the relationship between apoptosis and autophagy in response to stimulation by specific proteins or small RNA molecules from A. cantonensis ESPs.

Expected Training for Participating Personnel:
1. Learn to maintain A. cantonensis life cycle in laboratory
2. Learning cell culture technologies
3. Learn to carry out experiments on different animal models
4. Learning western blotting and other protein detection methods Living allowance: NT$15,000 per person per month.