Molecular and cellular interactions in helminth infections

Helminth (worm) parasites are highly prevalent in human populations affecting about 2 billion people in tropical countries and livestock across the world, including the UK. Existing drugs only temporarily suppress infection and effective vaccines are unavailable. Helminths are particularly successful at evading and manipulating the host immune system and frequently occupy niches such as the intestinal tract. 

My laboratory established that parasites exploit a natural ‘brake’ on immunity, named transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). We discovered a new parasite protein that mimics this pathway and we aim to understand this new protein and test it as a novel anti-inflammatory agent. We are also interested in how parasites accommodate themselves in the intestinal tract which undergoes major changes during infection, and which changes allow parasites to survive. Finally, we propose a new strategy for vaccination, targeting immunomodulatory extracellular vesicles released by helminths which, if bound by antibodies, are inactivated thereby protecting the host from parasite immunosuppression.