Promise of Parasites in Maizels Lab

Published: 21 October 2019

Work by Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation researchers Dr Danielle Smyth and Dr Rick Maizels and has been featured in a story on the Kenneth Rainin Foundation website's Health Blog.

Professor Maizels and Dr Smyth in the lab

Work by Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation researchers Professor Rick Maizels and Dr Danielle Smyth and has been featured in a story on the Kenneth Rainin Foundation website's Health Blog.

The Kenneth Rainin Foundation is celebrating 10 years of formal grantmaking this year, and to mark this milestone, they are sharing 10 Stories For 10 Years - a series that pays tribute to the incredible work of their grantees.

In the latest installment, entitled 'Promise of Parasites', the history of the innovative collaboration between Prof Maizels and Dr Smyth is explored.

A fascinating read, it details the pair's formative years, their separate journeys into science, and their convergence over a shared interest in research into the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Working together in iii’s Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology since 2016, the Maizels Lab has been supported in their aim to discover pharmacological methods for suppressing intestinal inflammation by three years of funding from the Rainin Foundation.

Helminth photograph

The feature closes by outlining the two major challenges that will drive the next phase of the research that has seen Dr Smyth and Prof Maizels harnessing the power of parasites to uncover several molecules that may be promising therapeutic candidates.

Outlining the importance of the part the Kenneth Rainin Foundation has played in their work thus far, Prof Maizels said:

"My direct involvement in IBD research originated entirely from the opportunity offered by the Rainin Foundation for exploratory, innovative grants.”

Read the feature here: https://krfoundation.org/the-promise-of-parasites/


First published: 21 October 2019