Lay summary
I am a gastroenterology trainee with a passion for improving the outcomes of patients with gastrointestinal diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Intestinal barrier dysfunction has been associated with a wide array of diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colon cancer, obesity, fatty liver disease and dementia. Improving intestinal barrier function could treat these diseases.
IBD affects 1 in every 200 New Zealanders. This rate is expected to double over the next 10 years. The elimination of the parasite human hookworm from improved sanitation is linked to the world-wide increase in the prevalence of IBD and other autoimmune diseases. Infecting humans with hookworm appears to regulate the immune system and reduce inflammation in IBD. Hookworm may exert its beneficial effects through improvement in intestinal barrier function. This PhD aims to research changes in intestinal barrier function during a hookworm infection and assess hookworm as a treatment for IBD.