Manitoba Health Research Chair
Professor in Immunology,
Department of Immunology,
Department of Medical
Faculty of Medicine,
University of Manitoba.
Parasitic diseases continue to be one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity around
the world (particularly in developing countries) and afflict more people than any other infectious
disease. Sadly, despite the high mortality and morbidity and enormous socio-economic impact of
parasitic diseases, not much interest is shown in this area of research and parasitic diseases
remain relatively neglected diseases. In Uzonna laboratory we study two diseases caused by
protozoan parasites namely Leishmaniasis and African trypanosomiasis.
We utilize experimental animal models to study host-pathogen interactions that result in
susceptibility or resistance to these diseases in Uzonna Laboratory. We have taken this two-
prong (host and pathogen) approach because we believe "it takes two to tango" and that the
outcome of infection is influenced by the intricate interactions between the host and the
pathogen. The overarching question that we seek answer to is:
“what host and parasite factors lead to susceptibility or resistance to protozoan parasites?”
Two host factors (responses) of particular interest to our laboratory are regulatory T cells and
memory T cells. Some of the questions we ask are:
Do memory cells develop after infection with protozoan parasites?
If they do, are these cells important in resistance to secondary exposure?
What can make the host loose an already developed memory response?
How can regulatory T cells be activated to prevent immune cell hyper-activation?
From the parasite's side, we are interested in parasite-derived factors that either:
(a) enhance the invasion process
(b) contribute to the take-over of host immune defences or
(c) alter the immune system to make it permissible for parasite proliferation.
In Uzonna lab, we use knockout mice, genetically modified parasites, and more recently,
proteomics to dissect cellular immune responses following protozoan infections. Although we
primarily use mouse models in our studies, we are working towards finding vaccines for humans
and livestock. Some of our vaccine candidates are in the early/planning stages of conducting
protection studies in non-human primates.
If you are interested in finding a cure and/or vaccines against poverty-associated and
neglected diseases of the developing world, come and join Dr. Jude Uzonna’s Laboratory.
Another important research activity going on in our laboratory (Host-Pathogen Interaction
Laboratory) involves understanding the pathogenesis of Sepsis/Septic Shock.
Sepsis syndrome (also known as systemic inflammatory response associated with infection,
sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock) is a condition characterized by a whole-body
inflammatory state and the presence of a known or suspected bacteria, usually gram-negative
Sepsis syndrome and septic shock are common and frequently fatal clinical conditions in all
age groups and are leading cause of mortality in intensive care units, particularly in children and
older adults. Therefore, understanding the pathogenesis of the disease is an important step
towards designing appropriate clinical interventions both for preventive and treatment purposes.
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