Le Gros Laboratory

The Le Gros Laboratory focuses on understanding how the immune system responds to allergens or parasites in the skin and lung.

Their current research includes investigating the role of IL-4 and IL-13, two CD4 T cell-derived cytokines that appear to play dominant roles in skin and lung immunity and pathology. 

The second major area of work is focused on understanding how parasites induce Type 2 immune responses in their hosts and how these immune responses can be used therapeutically to treat inflammatory diseases of the skin and lung of humans. Currently, the group is focused on developing scientific methods that enhance the effective use of  hookworms (Necator americanus) as a therapeutic strategy for human inflammatory diseases in the skin and gut.

The long-term goal of this research group is to develop effective treatments against asthma, allergy and parasitic disease.

Senior Research Officers: Melanie Prout, Bibek Yumnam

Research Officers: Brittany Lavender, Kate Maclean, Tama Te Kawa

PhD Student: Sophia Noble

Research areas

• Allergic and inflammatory disease
• Hookworm therapy
• Infectious disease
• Immune health

Research projects

• Establishment of a Controlled Human Hookworm Infection Model
• Clinical feasibility  of therapeutic hookworm intervention in Ulcerative colitis patients
• Development of Good Manufacturing protocols for the manufacturing , biobanking and release of human hookworms for therapeutic intervention studies
• Development of preclinical models of human hookworm infection
• Role of Il-4 and IL-13 producing CD4 Th2 subsets in immunity and predispositon to allergic and inflammatory diseases

Collaborations

• Otago University, Wellington
• Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine
• James Cook University
• Intestinal Immunology Lab, Monash University
• Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute
• University of Melbourne
• The Prince Charles Hospital
• Leiden University
• Washington University School of Medicine
• Baylor College of Medicine