Breakthrough Research Unveils New Insights into Hookworm Immunity

We are excited to announce the publication of the latest joint research between Universitas Indonesia and Leiden University Medical Center in Nature Communications!

This groundbreaking study uses high dimensional immune profiling and complex data analysis to explore how the immune profiles of Dutch participants of controlled hookworm infection compared to those of Indonesians naturally infected individuals in endemic regions.

Key Findings:

• Increased frequency and altered responsiveness of plasmacytoid dendritic cells in both controlled and natural infections.
• Higher CD45RA+ regulatory T cell frequencies, with distinct differences in functional markers between controlled and natural infection settings.
• Insights gained from high-dimensional immunophenotyping of immune cells.

These findings highlight the potential for developing an effective hookworm vaccine, complementing existing mass drug administration efforts and addressing the ongoing challenge of reinfection.
These incredible insights were made possible through the strong collaboration between young researchers and longstanding research partners at LUMC and UI, combining state-of-the-art technologies with on-the-ground knowledge, expertise, and shared datasets.

Congratulations to our dedicated research team: Mikhael D. Manurung, Friederike Sonnet, Marie-Astrid Hoogerwerf, Jacqueline J. Janse, Yvonne Kruize, Laura de Bes-Roeleveld, Marion König, Alex Loukas, Benjamin G. Dewals, Taniawati Supali, Simon P. Jochems, Meta Roestenberg, Mariateresa Coppola, and Maria Yazdanbakhsh.

Read the full article in Nature Communications here.

Stay tuned for more updates on our ongoing efforts to combat hookworm infections and improve public health worldwide.

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