Hirudo medicinalis (IMAGE)

Royal Ontario Museum

Hirudo medicinalis

Caption

An international team of researchers, led by Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) scientist Sebastian Kvist, have announced the completion and results of their work to sequence the genome of Hirudo medicinalis, a European leech, and one of the most prominently used medicinal species. The team focused their efforts on unveiling the diversity and abundance of anticoagulants (blood thinners) in the leech genome. The results will guide future medical use of leeches by providing insights into which proteins are secreted by the leech during feeding.

Credit

Sebastian Kvist

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