Abstract text
Parasitism, the intimate antagonistic liaison between two species, has always fascinated scientists from a variety of disciplines. Traditionally, parasitology was concerned mainly with organismic studies, while today"s parasitology focuses on medically-relevant cellular and molecular mechanisms, at ever-increasing depth. The DFG priority programme "Physics of Parasitism" (PoP) defines a new frontier in this field, namely the physics of parasites interacting with their hosts. Parasitism has evolved many times and hence, there are numerous convergent solutions to the challenge of how to physically hijack a host. These long periods of co-evolution have equipped parasites with high degrees of optimality. Examples are parasitic tools such as suckers and shields, or refined locomotive devices that allow navigation and also attachment in various body fluids, in crowded and confined spaces, and in highly viscous environments - often at surprisingly high speeds. "Physics of Parasitism" opens new chapters in both parasitology and the physics of life. The results obtained during the interdisciplinary endeavour will expose novel ways of combating parasitic diseases based on mechanobiology, against which resistances are unlikely to evolve.
PoP focuses on three major physical/mechanical aspects of parasitism: (i) the construction and mechanical properties of the parasite bodies ("Bauplan"), (ii) the physics of parasite locomotion ("Locomotion"), and (iii) the physics behind mechanisms of host attachment ("Attachment"). In my lecture I will introduce and illustrate the concept of the "Physics of Parasitism" with examples.