Mules Research Group

Led by Gastroenterologist Dr Tom Mules, gut health is a key area of research and development at the Malaghan. While the bulk of the immune system is found in the intestinal tract, immune interactions in the gut have far-reaching impacts throughout our body. By better understanding the relationship between gut-resident immune cells, our diet and the rest of our immune system, we can design new strategies to improve our health and fight disease.

The Gut Health team is focused on two key streams of research and development: understanding and remediating the underlying cause of gut barrier dysfunction (which can give rise to allergic, inflammatory and metabolic diseases), and harnessing the gut as a delivery mechanism for therapeutics to treat infectious diseases and cancer.

The Mules Research Group is also continuing research into hookworm therapy.

Research areas

• Allergic and Inflammatory disease
• Helminth therapy
• Epithelial barrier dysfunction
• Gastric cancer prevention

Research projects

• Molecular testing to improve Helicobacter pylori eradication

• Developing an mRNA vaccine against H. pylori

• Develop novel therapies to treat intestinal barrier dysfunction (butylated starch)

• Bio-engineered Human Hookworm as a Novel Drug Delivery System