INFECTIOUS DISEASES / Parasitic Diseases
Research Interests
Immunological mechanisms of host protection in infectious and non-infectious diseases.
Description of Research
The Group investigates immunological mechanisms in experimental murine models for human diseases. Major general topics include cytokine network and regulation, lymphocyte differentiation and function, dendritic cell and macrophage activation, as well as the role of non-immunological effector cells in health/disease like smooth muscle cells, goblet cells, activated by IL-4 and IL13. Current disease models under investigations include:
Bacterial Infectious Diseases
– Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (aerosol).
– Listeriosis caused by Listeria monocytogenes.
Parasitic Infectious Diseases
– African trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma brucei/evansi/congolense.
– Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major.
– Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia) caused by Schistosoma mansoni.
– Hookworm caused by Nippostrongylus brasiliensis.
Non-infectious Diseases
– Allergic inflammation, induced by Ovalbumin, House Dust Mite, or Anisakis.
– Colitis, chemically induced by Oxazalone.
Our research strategy is based on gain of knowledge by a loss of function approaches in knockout and knockdown animal models. This includes the generation and characterisation of novel conditional gene deficient mouse strains. Together with transcriptomic approaches, the significance of genes, factors and cells for host protection and failure thereof are uncovered and possible factors for host-directed drug targeting identified. This supports our long-term goal for the development of safe and cost-effective drug and vaccination strategies.
The Group has contributed some major advances to our understanding of helminth infection, allergic responses and neuroimmunology of the immune responses affecting inflammation. In schistosomiasis the Group worked on antiparasitic drugs and preclinical models in humans (Nono et al, 2020, Sci Rep; Kamdem et al, 2020, Sci Rep). Indeed, worm infections can also impact on neuro-immunology (Brombacher et al, Brain Behav Immun 2021 SO889) and memory (Brombacher et al, Sci Rep 2021).
Recent Publications
Darby, M.G., Chetty, A., Mrjden, D., Rolot, M., Smith, K., Mackowiak, C., Sedda, D., Nyangahu, D., Jaspan, H., Toellner, K.M., Waisman, A., Quesniaux, V., Ryffel, B., Cunningham, A.F., Dewals, B.G., Brombacher, F., Horsnell, W.G.C. 2019. Pre-conception maternal helminth infection transfers via nursing long-lasting cellular immunity against helminths to offspring Sci Advance 5:eaav3058 PubMed link
Abdel Aziz, N., Nono, J.K., Mpotje, T., Brombacher, F. 2018. The Foxp3+ regulatory T-cell population requires IL-4Rα signaling to control inflammation during helminth infections. PLoS Biology 16:e2005850 PubMed link
Brombacher, T.M., De Gouveia, K.S., Cruywagen, L., Makena, N., Booley, F., Tamgue, O., Brombacher, F. 2018. Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection leads to impaired reference memory and myeloid cell interference.Sci Rep 8, 2958 PubMed link
Brombacher, T.M., De Gouveia, K.S., Cruywagen, L., Makena, N., Booley, F., Tamgue, O., Brombacher, F. 2018. Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection leads to impaired reference memory and myeloid cell interference. Sci Rep 8, 2958 PubMed link
Hurdayal, R., Ndlovu, H.H., Revaz-Breton, M., Parihar, S.P., Nono, J.K., Govender, M., Brombacher, F. 2017. IL-4-producing B cells regulate T helper cell dichotomy in type 1- and type 2-controlled diseases. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 114, E8430-E8439 PubMed link
Parihar, S.P., Ozturk, M., Marakalala, M.J., Loots, D.T., Hurdayal, R., Beukes, D., Van Reenen, M., Zak, D.E., Mbandi, S.K., Darboe, F., Penn-Nicholson, A., Hanekom, W.A., Leitges, M., Scriba, T.J., Guler, R., Brombacher, F. 2017. Protein kinase C-delta (PKCδ), a marker of inflammation and tuberculosis disease progression in humans, is important for optimal macrophage killing effector functions and survival in mice. Mucosal Immunol 11, 579 PubMed link
