PhD student Ian Wilson is investigating the genetic causes of the disease amoebiasis, to discover which genes are crucial for causing harmful infections in humans.
Working in the University of Liverpool’s Department of Functional and Comparative Genomics, Ian is sequencing and comparing samples of various species of amoeba, including Entamoeba histolytica, which cause the disease.
These samples originate from multiple developing countries and Ian is studying them in order to, ultimately, help develop drugs which can be used to treat a disease which kills up to 100,000 people a year worldwide.
Ian shows us round his lab here and takes us through the process of extracting and sequencing DNA from the cells.
You can follow Ian on Twitter @Science_Gremlin
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