Our research focuses on understanding the interface between pathogenic bacteria and the human immune system, especially relating to the fundamental development of vaccines.
We are developing mucosal vaccines using attenuated Vibrio cholerae organisms as vectors for expressing heterologous antigens (antigens from various, unrelated mucosal pathogens) at mucosal surfaces. We are developing vaccines against Entamoeba histolytica and Clostridium difficile, and we are evaluating immune response to enteric infections in general, working in collaborative efforts at the Centre for Health and Population Research: ICDDR,B in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
We are currently studying immune responses to V. cholerae and Cryptosporidium parvum in Bangladesh. We are also studying in vivo gene expression of V. cholerae in individuals with cholera in Bangladesh, in vivo gene expression of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi in individuals with typhoid in Bangladesh, and in vivo gene expression of Bacillus anthracis in survivors of anthrax (the latter in a collaborative effort with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Identification of immunogenic bacterial antigens expressed in vivo may increase our understanding of bacterial pathogenesis, and may lead to the development of improved therapeutics, diagnostic assays, and vaccines.