The mode of action of an anti-inflammatory parasitic worm product

The aim of the project is to increase our understanding of the anti-inflammatory properties of parasitic worm products against chronic inflammatory conditions and the diseases associated with ageing and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Many of the major global human health challenges of the 21st century are non-communicable diseases. It is estimated that around 10% of the Western population suffer from a range of conditions including allergic conditions, autoimmune diseases, the co-morbidities of an unhealthy lifestyle such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and the co-morbidities associated with ageing. Globally, the numbers suffering from such conditions is increasing at an alarming rate. Currently, the treatments for these conditions often involve the use of drugs, some of which suffer from problems such as unwanted side effects or limited effectiveness. Indeed, in some cases, the treatments are in fact largely ineffective and fail to improve the condition of some patients.

Over recent decades, there has been increasing interest in the idea that products derived from parasitic worms might protect humans against the development of such diseases, each of which is associated with inflammatory responses. In the search for new treatment strategies for these disorders, attention has turned to parasitic worms, and in particular the anti-inflammatory products that they secrete to aid their survival. In our research thus far, we have made significant progress in understanding how one particular parasitic worm product works. We have tested the anti-inflammatory parasitic worm product in a range of mouse models of human disease and found protection against disease development and/or disease progression in a number of them. Where protection has been observed, we have generated a great deal of information on the mechanism underlying the protective effect.

It is hoped that further research in this field will add new information relating to the mechanisms of how the parasitic worm product works. In particular we will be researching how the parasitic worm product might protect against the effects of ageing in bone marrow and how it reacts with different cell-types in the human body to resolve chronic inflammation. The outputs of our research will be of benefit to our efforts to produce anti-inflammatory drugs from the parasitic worm product we are studying and, also hopefully, to the design of further anti-inflammatory drugs to treat a range of conditions.