Staff profiles
Prof. Rick MaizelsLocation: Rm. 301, 3rd Floor, Ashworth Laboratories |  |
C.V.
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 1976 | PhD in Immunology, National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London. |
| 1976 1977 | Postdoctoral training in Biology, California Institute of Technology. |
| 1977 1979 | Postdoctoral training in Microbiology, University of California at Los Angeles. |
| 1979 1983 | Scientific staff, Parasitology, National Institute for Medical Research. |
| 1983 1995 | Lecturer/Reader/Professor in Parasite Immunology, Biology Department, Imperial College. |
| 1995 Present | Professor of Zoology, University of Edinburgh. |
Research interests
Parasites which live in mammalian hosts for long periods have evolved an array of mechanisms for diverting and manipulating the host immune response. We are studying the interaction between nematode parasites and the immune system in order to understand parasite survival, to devise new means of shifting the balance towards protective immunity, and to isolate novel molecules from nematode parasites which modify immune responses.
Current projects include the role of Regulatory T cells (Tregs) and Th2 effector cells in modifying protective immunity; characterisation of secreted proteins which drive Regulatory T cell responses; dendritic cell populations in helminth infections; combining transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of parasite immunomodulatory genes; definition of the major T cell antigens in infection; use of transfection technologies to measure immune gene function; and the function of cytokine-like proteins encoded within parasite genomes.
Representative publications
- Maizels, R.M., Balic, A., Gomez-Escobar, N., Nair, M., Taylor, M. and Allen, J.E. (2004) Helminth parasites masters of regulation. Immunol. Rev. 201: 89-116
- Gomez-Escobar, N., Bennett, C., Prieto-Lafuente, L., Aebischer, T., Blackburn, C.C. and Maizels, R.M. (2005) Heterologous expression of the filarial nematode alt gene products reveals their potential to inhibit immune function. BMC Biol. 3: 1-16
- Maizels, R.M. (2005) Infections and allergy: helminths, hygiene and host immune regulation. Curr. Opin. Immunol. 17: 656-661
- Taylor, M.D., LeGoff, L., Harris, A., Malone, E., Allen, J.E. and Maizels, R.M. (2005) Removal of regulatory T cell activity reverses hyporesponsiveness and leads to filarial parasite clearance in vivo. J. Immunol. 175: 4924-4933
- Wilson, M S., Taylor, M., Balic, A., Finney, C.A.M., Lamb, J.R. and Maizels, R.M. (2005) Suppression of allergic airway inflammation by helminth-induced regulatory T cells. J. Exp. Med. 202: 1199-1212.
- Balic, A., Harcus, Y., Taylor, M.D., Brombacher, F. and Maizels, R.M. (2006) IL-4R signaling is required to induce IL-10 for the establishment of Th2 dominance. Intern. Immunol. 18: 1421-1431
- Maizels, R.M. (2007) Regulation of the immune response in metzoan parasite infections. Novartis Foundation Symposium 281 Decoding the Genomic Control of Immune Reactions. pp 192-204, discussion 204-9.
This article was published on Oct 11, 2012