The prevalence of helminth infections, commonly referred to as parasitic worms, is estimated to be 2 billion individuals world-wide. While these infections are rarely seen in the US and EU, they are extremely common in South America and Africa. Despite the enormous public health need, helminth infections remain understudied and are often referred to as “the world’s great neglected disease.” As a result of their understudied nature, we have a poor understanding of how the immune system initiates inflammation needed to eliminate the parasites. The Siracusa lab studies this specialized immune response, termed ‘type 2 inflammation,’ that is also responsible for promoting allergies and asthma. Dr. Siracusa’s research program has made fundamental discoveries defining the diverse roles that granulocytes and neuroimmune interactions play in regulating helminth-induced inflammation. Dr. Siracusa is also the president and founder of NemaGen Discoveries, a biotech start-up company that develops novel therapies to treat allergic inflammation based on pathways discovered while studying host-parasite interactions.
- Title
- Associate Professor and Chancellor Scholar
- Area of Study/Expertise
- Asthma; Allergy
- mcs294@njms.rutgers.edu