Roadmap for the development of candidate vaccines for liver fluke

What are we trying to achieve and why? What is the problem we are trying to solve?

To identify how the parasite modulates the host immune responses. If the host could be immunised against these would it result in the parasite being unable to migrate and be eliminated

What are the scientific and technological challenges (knowledge gaps needing to be addressed)?

What approaches could/should be taken to address the research question?

• Establish which parasite genes are being expressed at different stages and their role in parasite migration/feeding
• Establish the roles of Cathepsins, peroxiredoxin and helminth defence molecules in immunomodulation

What else needs to be done before we can solve this need?

An improved understanding of Host-parasite interaction

Existing knowledge including successes and failures

• We can describe the ways in which the response of infected animals is altered, and how it affects the response to other pathogens
• Modulation involves suppression of Th1 responses, induction of Th2/Treg responses, and polarisation of macrophages towards the alternatively-activated pathway.