Research Group: Host and Parasites

The Host and Parasites group conducts basic and applied research in the areas of host-parasite interactions.

Emphasis is on: 1) Immune stimulation and gut microbiome restoration by parasites, 2) The use of parasites as model organisms, in particular in relation to toxicity and drug potency 3) Techniques to detect and phenotypically analyze infectivity of parasites, and 4) Epidemiology of zoonotic parasites.

A central theme of the research is to investigate the delicate interplay between a host and the microorganisms found in the gut, with a hypothesis that many naturally occurring gut microbes stimulate the overall well-being and fitness of the host.
This hypothesis is presently being tested in human volunteers in the framework of the university spin-out company ParaTech A/S, where microorganisms are being used as an experimental treatment for immune disorders.