Miss Jessica Dagley

Biography

Jessica Dagley is a Tropical Disease Biology Research Assistant in the Filariasis Research group. She gained her BSc (Hons) in Biology from the University of Lincoln, during which time she spent a short period in Ecuador investigating antimicrobial plants throughout the cloud rainforest. Following this, Jessica completed her MSc in Tropical Disease Biology at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), this saw her complete a research project investigating novel and repurposed compounds, such as the azaquinazoline AWZ1066S, on Wolbachia as a curative treatment for lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis.

During her time as a research assistant at LSTM, Jessica’s research has focused primarily on human and animal filarial infections such as loiasis, dirofilariasis, lymphatic filariasis, and onchocerciasis. She has been involved in ex vivo, in vivo, and in vitro screening of novel anti-filarial and anthelminitic drugs and is involved in the validation of rodent infections models as a replacement for the current reliance on cats and dogs.

Research interests

Jessica’s research interests include filarial nematodes, Wolbachia, intracellular bacteria of concern to human and animal health, and rodent model development. 

Selected research publications

Current status of immunodeficient mouse models as substitutes to reduce cat and dog use in heartworm preclinical research – Journal: F1000Research – Published: 11th September 2024

Combinations of the azaquinazoline anti-Wolbachia agent, AWZ1066S, with benzimidazole anthelmintics synergise to mediate sub-seven-day sterilising and curative efficacies in experimental models of filariasis – Journal: Frontiers in Microbiology – Published: 1st February 2024

Dirofilariasis mouse models for heartworm preclinical research – Journal: Frontiers in Microbiology – Published: 22nd June 2023

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