Award details

The Tick Cell Biobank - a UK and international biological resource

Reference	BB/P024270/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Benjamin Makepeace
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Professor Matthew Baylis, Dr Lesley Bell-Sakyi, Professor Alistair Darby
Institution	University of Liverpool
Department	Institute of Infection and Global Health
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	840,641
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	01/07/2017
End date	31/03/2023
Duration	69 months

Abstract

Tick cell lines (TCL) are valuable research tools that are increasingly applied in many areas of laboratory-based study of tick biology and control, and the viral, bacterial and protozoan pathogens that ticks transmit, as well as the endogenous microorganisms that they harbour. The Tick Cell Biobank (TCB) is a repository for continuous TCL, which are maintained both as growing cultures and, where possible, as cryopreserved stabilates. As well as housing almost all the TCL currently available worldwide, the TCB provides training in establishment and maintenance of TCL to recipient scientists and generates novel cell lines from additional species of ticks and other arthropod vectors. As such, the TCB is a unique biological resources not just in the UK but also globally. The TCB houses TCL derived from embryos, larvae and/or nymphs of 15 ixodid and two argasid tick species and one biting midge, a small collection of BSL2 tick-borne bacteria, and cell lines are under development from seven additional tick species or geographical strains and one sand fly species. We propose, by establishing the TCB at the University of Liverpool, to secure its long-term future as an essential resource underpinning UK and international research into ticks, tick-borne diseases and other arthropod vectors. Moreover, we will give added value to selected TCL by genome sequencing, phenotype characterisation and cloning, thereby enhancing their uptake and application in a wide range of research areas including tick-pathogen interactions, tick innate immunity, tick functional genomics, proteomics and interactomics, and tick and disease control based on acaricides and vaccines against tick and pathogens. Through a GCRF-funded workpackage, we will establish outposts of the TCB in Malaysia, Kenya and Brazil, thereby facilitating uptake of TCL and associated technology in these and neighbouring lower- and middle-income countries.

Summary

Ticks are bloodfeeding arthropods which, as well as causing direct damage to their hosts, transmit many diseases of livestock, companion animals and humans. Research into prevention and cure of these diseases, caused by viruses, bacteria, protozoa and filarial worms, is greatly assisted by the use of cell culture systems to study both how tick cells function, and how and why they transmit disease-causing pathogens. Such culture systems, called cell lines, have been developed for many disease-carrying ticks, but they require special skills and much time and patience to establish and maintain. Seven years ago a central collection, the Tick Cell Biobank (TCB), was created for all the tick cell lines available now and in future. The TCB distributes tick cell lines (TCL) on request to research scientists all over the world and provides essential training in their maintenance. The TCB also carries out characterisation studies on TCL, as very little is known about most of them, and is creating new cell lines from species of ticks not already represented in the collection. This proposal requests funding to secure the long-term future of the TCB as an essential resource underpinning UK and international tick and tick-borne disease research, to expand the resource to include cell lines derived from other important arthropods such as biting midges, mites and honeybees, and to give added value to the cell lines through characterisation, cloning and genome sequencing, thereby ensuring that these unique and invaluable biological resources continue to be available to the scientists who need to use them in biomedical, veterinary and agricultural research. Since the TCB was established in 2009, the crucial role played by TCL in research into ticks and the diseases they transmit has become increasingly clear. Indeed, interest in TCL and the methods used to generate them has spread to encompass pathogens transmitted by other arthropods such as mites, fleas and lice. With environmental and climate change driving the emergence of new vector-borne diseases, the demand for cell lines derived from ticks and other arthropods is likely to continue to increase in the future. This proposal includes generation of novel cell lines from ticks, mites and insects such as sand flies and midges both in-house and through dissemination of the required expertise to scientists in laboratories specialising in these arthropods. Establishment of TCL takes many years and requires specialised expertise, much patience and, importantly, a stable background of laboratory support. The TCB has brought together almost all the TCL available worldwide into a single repository and point of contact for supply of TCL and training in their maintenance (essential for successful transfer of TCL to recipient laboratories). The TCB has been enormously successful over the past 7 years, generating 18 new TCL, supplying TCL to 71 recipient laboratories and training 80 young scientists representing 27 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America. This proposal includes a workpackage specifically aimed at raising the profile of, and improving access to, TCL and training in lower and middle-income countries, by establishing outposts of the TCB in Malaysia, Kenya and Brazil. TCL from the TCB have already facilitated a wide range of studies, but much remains to be done. UK and global research has only scratched the surface of knowledge of these economically important and biologically fascinating parasites, their microbiota and the pathogens they transmit. Continued maintenance and expansion of the unique resource represented by the TCB, including genomic and molecular characterisation of TCL and generation of new arthropod cell lines, is essential to support this research now and for many years to come.

Impact Summary

In addition to the academic beneficiaries listed in the previous section, the following groups should benefit from the Tick Cell Biobank as a UK and international biological resource in the short term: - The Institute for Infection and Global Health, other departments of the University of Liverpool, and other nearby institutes such as the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and universities on the region will gain opportunities for enhanced research collaborations and training opportunities for students. - Links between the LMIC institutes involved in the GCRF workpackage and University of Liverpool will be created and strengthened, facilitating future collaborations - The profile of the UK Bioscience contribution to addressing and solving problems caused by ticks and tick-borne pathogens worldwide, in both veterinary and human medicine, will be raised In the longer term, use of tick cell lines by UK and international researchers will facilitate delivery of i) improved tick control methods using novel acaricides, plant-based products and anti-tick vaccines, and ii) improved detection, diagnosis, treatment and control of tick-borne pathogens based on pathogens propagated in tick cell lines. These will benefit the following groups: - Veterinarians who will have access to improved products for diagnosis, treatment and control of ticks and tick-borne diseases affecting livestock and companion animals in the UK and other countries - Clinicians who will similarly have access to increased knowledge of tick-borne diseases affecting humans and to improved products for diagnosis and treatment of tick-borne diseases affecting humans in the UK and other countries - Large- and small-scale livestock farmers in the UK and other developed countries whose livestock will be healthier and more productive, thereby increasing their income from sale of animals and animal products, and decreasing their costs for tick and disease control. This will contribute to improved UK food security. - Through the outputs of collaborative research springboarded by both the parent Tick Cell Biobank and the outposts established through the GCRF workpackage, LMIC farmers and smallholders who will have access to more effective and affordable tick control methods to reduce or eliminate tick burdens on their livestock, and more effective, accessible and affordable vaccines and/or treatments for the tick-borne diseases affecting their livestock. This will in turn improve the access of poor farmers and smallholders, their families and consumers in the general population in LMIC to more and better quality sources of animal protein in their diets Novel cell lines developed from other arthropod groups such as mites, sand flies, midges, lice, fleas and plant pests, and expertise in their establishment disseminated by the Tick Cell Biobank will additionally benefit equivalent groups affected by these arthropod vectors and the pathogens that they transmit, in ways similar to those outlined above.

Committee	Research Committee A (Animal disease, health and welfare)
Research Topics	Animal Health
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	GCRF BBR Highlight [2017]
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

I accept the terms and conditions of use (opens in new window)

export PDF file

back to list new search