{"id":419,"date":"2019-03-07T13:57:37","date_gmt":"2019-03-07T13:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/?p=419"},"modified":"2020-02-04T19:22:13","modified_gmt":"2020-02-04T19:22:13","slug":"morris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/morris\/","title":{"rendered":"Pitted Against Parasites"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='fullscreen_slider_1'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_image  avia-builder-el-first   container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link av-control-default' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='no scaling'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='420,'  data-video_counter='1'  data-autoplay='true'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='3'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_1'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout='av-control-default'  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper='1'  data-image_attachment='scroll'  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-1 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-control-default av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-no scaling av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 66.6666666667%;' ><li style='background-position:center center;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/02\/Parasite_Opener.jpg' class=' slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-1' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><div class='av-click-to-play-overlay'><div class=\"avia_playpause_icon\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li><li  data-controls='' data-mute='aviaTBaviaTBvideo_mute' data-loop='' data-disable-autoplay='aviaTBaviaTBvideo_autoplay'  data-mobile-img='https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/02\/Jim-Morris_Hero.jpg' data-fallback-link='http:\/\/' class=' av-video-slide  av-video-service-vimeo  av-mute-video av-mobile-fallback-image slide-2 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-1' class='avia-slide-wrap ' style='background-image:url(\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/02\/Jim-Morris_Hero.jpg\");'  ><div class='av-click-overlay'><\/div><div class='mejs-mediaelement'><div data-src='\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/384815608?portrait=0&#038;byline=0&#038;title=0&#038;badge=0&#038;loop=0&#038;autopause=1&#038;api=1&#038;rel=0&#038;player_id=player_419_2051574291_2139952700&#038;color=f26734' data-original_url='https:\/\/vimeo.com\/384815608' height='1600' width='900' class='av_vimeo_frame' id='player_419_2051574291_2139952700'><\/div><\/div><div class='av-click-to-play-overlay'><div class=\"avia_playpause_icon\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><div class='avia-slideshow-arrows avia-slideshow-controls'><a href='#prev' class='prev-slide' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue87c' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'>Previous<\/a><a href='#next' class='next-slide' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue87d' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'>Next<\/a><\/div><div class='avia-slideshow-dots avia-slideshow-controls'><a href='#1' class='goto-slide active' >1<\/a><a href='#2' class='goto-slide ' >2<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_1'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-419'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_one_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img class='avia_image' src='https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/02\/Parasites_Title-Treatment.png' alt='' title='Parasites_Title-Treatment' height=\"584\" width=\"800\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_image  el_before_av_three_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><div   class='hr hr-default   avia-builder-el-4  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_full  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:33px; color:#af2c23; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>In his fight against a pathogen that shares much of our biology, James Morris is developing a creative way to turn a parasite\u2019s own evolutionary adaptations against itself.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-9  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><div   class='hr hr-default   avia-builder-el-10  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_full  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-12  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_full  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:13px; color:#000000; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: center;\">By <strong>Jill Sakai<\/strong><b><br \/>\n<\/b>Photography by <strong>Craig Mahaffey \u201998<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-14  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_fullscreen  avia-builder-el-last  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:19px; color:#000000; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Seen through a microscope, the tiny creatures twirl and twist, their whiplike flagella keeping the beat of their graceful dance. But that elegance belies the threat they hold. These single-celled marvels are <em>Trypanosoma brucei<\/em>, the African trypanosome, and if they were to get into your bloodstream, they would trigger muscle aches, chills, confusion and \u2014 if not caught in time \u2014 death.<\/p>\n<p>Transmitted via the bite of an infected tsetse fly, <i>T.\u00a0brucei\u00a0<\/i>causes sleeping sickness and threatens millions of people, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Existing treatments require two weeks of intravenous drug administration with toxic side effects. But without treatment, the infection is lethal.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clemson.edu\/centers-institutes\/epic\/people\/morris-j.html\">James Morris<\/a> sees both the biological allure of the parasites and the potential for a better way to kill them. As a Clemson professor of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clemson.edu\/science\/departments\/genetics-biochemistry\/\">genetics and biochemistry<\/a>, he is studying these creatures with an eye toward developing an easier, safer and more effective treatment.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='fullscreen_slider_2'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-16  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_one_full   slider-not-first container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div   data-size='no scaling'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='422'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_2'  data-scroll_down=''  data-control_layout='av-control-default'  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment='scroll'  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-2  av-control-default av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-no scaling av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 66.6666666667%;' ><li style='background-position:center center;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/02\/Tsetse-Fly.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-2' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_2'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-419'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-17  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_one_full  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:19px; color:#000000; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><b>KNOW YOUR ENEMY<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Targeting a pathogen is rarely simple. Researchers must first identify a biological strategy to block, cripple or kill the pest, then find a chemical compound able to carry out the desired attack \u2014 and, critically, that can then be formulated into a medicine.<\/p>\n<p>But <i>T. brucei<\/i> poses an additional challenge. Unlike bacteria and viruses, trypanosomes are eukaryotes, which means that their cells are built and organized much like those of animals. It also means that we have a surprising amount in common, biologically, with this single-celled wiggler.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur challenge is that we, and other mammals, share a lot of features with the trypanosome,\u201d explains Morris. \u201cWe share a lot of biochemical and cellular pathways. So you have to be careful, as you might imagine. Targeting one of those organisms and one of their pathways \u2014 without hitting the host \u2014 becomes a big challenge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s sort of like fighting cancer [in that] you have to kill the parasite or fungus before you kill the host,\u201d Morris says.<\/p>\n<p>Finding potential ways to attack eukaryotes, then, requires a delicate touch. Fortunately, Morris is in good company. As part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clemson.edu\/centers-institutes\/epic\/\">Clemson\u2019s Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center (EPIC)<\/a>, a unique, collaborative facility that brings together researchers targeting pathogens as diverse as amoebas and fungi, he is surrounded by colleagues who share some similar challenges and strategic approaches.<\/p>\n<p>And in the process, he\u2019s finding a way to turn an unusual aspect of the parasite\u2019s own biology back on itself.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-19  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_one_full  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:33px; color:#af2c23; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>James Morris sees both the biological allure of the parasites and is studying these creatures with an eye toward developing an easier, safer and more effective treatment.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-21  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_fullscreen  avia-builder-el-last  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:19px; color:#000000; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><b style=\"color: #000000;\">PARALLEL LIVES<\/b><\/p>\n<p><i>T. brucei<\/i> splits its life cycle between two hosts: a mammal such as a human or a cow, and a tsetse fly. The mammal-dwelling form multiplies in the bloodstream and spreads throughout the brain and other organs. When a tsetse fly bites an infected mammal to get a blood meal, it sucks up the parasite as well. The trypanosome divides in the insect gut, then makes its way into the bug\u2019s saliva, ready to hitch a ride to a new mammalian host when the fly gets its next meal.<\/p>\n<p>The two hosts present very different physical living environments. Imagine being suddenly sucked from a host in the American Southeast and spat out into the Arctic tundra. Different surroundings, different climates, different strategies needed for survival. But this parasite has evolved to adapt to the abrupt shift by assuming different forms tailored for each host.<\/p>\n<p>One crucial environmental difference is blood sugar. Mammals have a relatively high level of glucose in their blood; tsetse flies have almost none. And sugar equals energy. Glucose is the primary energy source for the mammal-dwelling form of the parasite. When the trypanosome is slurped into the fly gut, the sudden absence of sugar is what triggers a quick switch into its insect-adapted form, which dines on a diet of bug amino acids instead.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s an impressive evolutionary adaptation. But what\u2019s more, it\u2019s an opportunity the researchers can exploit, Morris says. If, in a mammal, the researchers can find a way to make the parasite think it\u2019s in an insect, they may be able to trick it into assuming the wrong form \u2014 and dying. A compound that can accomplish that in an infected person has the makings of a powerful treatment, he reasons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you block glucose uptake, the parasite might perceive that as, \u2018Hey, there&#8217;s no glucose around!\u2019 and then fire off the developmental program to assume the insect stage in the blood, which would be very bad for the parasite,\u201d Morris explains. \u201cSo it&#8217;s a win-win: You either starve them \u2026 or you force them to become a stage that can&#8217;t live in the mammal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This has become a cornerstone of his research program: targeting <i>T. brucei\u2019s<\/i> ability to access glucose, in search of a new kind of anti-parasite treatment.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='fullscreen_slider_3'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-23  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_one_full   slider-not-first container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div   data-size='no scaling'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='483'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_3'  data-scroll_down=''  data-control_layout='av-control-default'  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment='scroll'  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-3  av-control-default av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-no scaling av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 66.6666666667%;' ><li style='background-position:center center;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Parasites_Jim-Morris.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-3' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_3'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-419'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-24  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_one_full  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:19px; color:#000000; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><b style=\"color: #000000;\">EXPANDING THE TOOLBOX<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Currently, little is known about how trypanosome detects nutrients in its environment, nor how it uses that information to trigger the change between mammal- and insect-dwelling forms.<\/p>\n<p>Trypanosome researchers have long recognized glucose as an important target, says Kenneth Christensen, a former Clemson professor of chemistry who is now at Brigham Young University. But the tools to study glucose systems \u2014 especially in living cells \u2014 have been limited. Christensen is now collaborating with Morris to develop novel ways to identify molecules that interfere with the parasite\u2019s ability to get the sugar it needs.<\/p>\n<p>Christensen helped create a set of biosensors that give a fluorescent readout of glucose levels in the parasite. By positioning sensors in different structures within the trypanosome, he and Morris can develop a nuanced view of how glucose moves through the cell. They also recently published a powerful screening assay that can rapidly scan thousands of living cells using a technique called flow cytometry.<\/p>\n<p>Together, the new tools are driving a large-scale search for potential drug compounds that can disrupt glucose uptake in <i>T. brucei<\/i> or another widespread parasite called <i>Leishmania.<\/i> So far, the team has screened more than 25,000 small molecules. \u201cWe&#8217;ve found a few compounds that are potent against both trypanosomes and <i>Leishmania,<\/i> which is exciting.\u201d Morris says, \u201cNow, we have some work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-26  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_one_full  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:33px; color:#af2c23; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u201cThere\u2019s an excitement in resolving some of the unknown out there,\u201d\u00a0<b><\/b>he says. \u201cThere are certainly hurdles we have to overcome, but I think so far we\u2019re off on the right foot.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-28  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_hr  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:19px; color:#000000; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><b style=\"color: #000000;\">FROM DISH TO DRUG<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The path from a promising hit in a molecular screen to a usable drug is long and often bumpy, Morris says. From their screen, they pick out compounds that block glucose uptake, then select those that, at a reasonable dose, also kill trypanosomes. These top contenders move on to the next step, being shaped into something that can be given as a drug.<\/p>\n<p>For that, Morris turns to another of his collaborators, Jennifer Golden at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison. As a medicinal chemist, Golden specializes in building molecular structures with the qualities necessary to be used as medicine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCompounds typically have to have a balance of different characteristics to make them a drug,\u201d Golden explains. They must be potent, stable and soluble. They must maintain the desired biological activity. And they must be able to reach and act in the correct place in a patient\u2019s body without being broken down or causing unwanted side effects along the way.<\/p>\n<p>The best candidates that emerge from a screen are Golden\u2019s raw material. She strips them down to identify the essential bits of the molecular backbone that give it the desired anti-parasite activity. Then she builds them back up by adding chemical groups with the needed drug qualities. \u201cIt&#8217;s an art of manipulating the structure, piece by piece, until you get to an entity that has all of those balanced parameters,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>With their tools in place, the collaboration is poised to push the research to the next level. The combination of so many complementary skillsets should allow them to tease the process apart and look more precisely at where each compound interferes, Morris says, as well as begin to home in on individual proteins and genes of interest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere&#8217;s an excitement in resolving some of the unknown out there,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are certainly hurdles we have to overcome, but I think so far we&#8217;re off on the right foot.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div  style='height:50px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-30  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_video '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div  class='avia-video avia-video-16-9   av-lazyload-immediate  av-lazyload-video-embed  '   itemprop=\"video\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\"  data-original_url='https:\/\/vimeo.com\/384815608' ><script type='text\/html' class='av-video-tmpl'><div class='avia-iframe-wrap'><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Pitted Against Parasites | 2020\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/384815608?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"1500\" height=\"638\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/script><div class='av-click-to-play-overlay'><div class=\"avia_playpause_icon\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div  style='height:50px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-32  el_after_av_video  el_before_av_one_full '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-33  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_one_full  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><div   class='hr hr-big   avia-builder-el-34  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-35  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_hr  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:13px; color:#000000; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><strong>Jill Sakai<\/strong>\u00a0is a freelance writer in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div  style='height:50px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-37  el_after_av_one_full  avia-builder-el-last '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bats play a crucial role in insect control as well as pollination and seed dispersal. But they\u2019re dying off at alarming rates due to a fungal pathogen called white-nose syndrome. Researchers are exploring how to foster bat populations to survive this disease.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[161,185,184,166,167],"coauthors":[156],"class_list":["post-419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-2019-features","tag-clemson-university-college-of-science","tag-eukaryotic-pathogens-innovation-center-epic","tag-parasites","tag-sleeping-sickness"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/02\/Parasite_Opener.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s9IEky-morris","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=419"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}