Professor Maria Yazdanbakhsh, Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Parasitology, LUMC, L4-Q, Postbus 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, THE NETHERLANDS
Telephone: +31 (0)71-5265067 - Email: M.Yazdanbakhsh@lumc.nl
Our group studies the interaction between host and parasite at the epidemiological, cellular immunological and molecular level. We try to understand the impact that acute and chronic parasitic infections have on the immune system. Prime characteristics of helminth infections are their ability to skew immune responses towards Th2 during acute stage of infection, while at chronic stage, they are continuously trying to downmodulate the innate and adaptive immune system. These properties have important implications for immunity against the parasite, for control of pathology but also for responses to third party antigens. The latter is studied in the context of allergic diseases, vaccination and coinfections.
The group has long standing collaboration with centers in University of Indonesia, Albert schweitzer hospital in Gabon, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and more recently with University of Hasanuddin and Bandim Health project in G. Bissau to conduct field studies and to exchange students.
The epidemiological and immunoepidemiological studies of the group explore the relationship between Th1, Th2, Treg and Th17 cells and outcomes of infection and disease.
The in vitro immunological studies in the laboratory at LUMC focus on the phenotypic analysis if cell subsets using mulitcolour FACS machines to describe which cells respond to antigens specifically in different patient groups. In addition, the question of immunomodulatory molecules derived from parasites are studied in dendritic cell assays.
The in vivo studies are centered around the murine model of Schistosoma mansoni infection. The relationship between this infection and allergic airway inflammation is being studied as well as the role that immunomodulatory molecules have in this model. Detailed cellular immunological analysis looks at the role of regulatory cells (T, B and DC) on the development of allergic inflammation. The hypotheses generated from population studies as well as in vitro human studies are then tested in the in vivo assays set up at LUMC.