VacA mediated immunomodulation

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The bacteria Helicobacter pylori (Hp) lives in the stomach, infecting 50% of the world's population. The majority of those infected do not suffer with any problems, but a small number develop ulcer disease and stomach cancers. Hp has infected the human population for 60,000 years. Over the last few decades, numbers of people infected have declined, and numbers of immune related diseases such as asthma and multiple sclerosis have increased.We and others have done much research into an important bacterial protein, VacA, and shown that it not only influences a persons risk of developing gastric disease but also that it has an important impact on the immune system. It appears to manipulate the immune system to produce more regulatory immune cells. These cell types are important for preventing diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis. As there are many different types of VacA, this project aims to differentiate exactly which part of the vacA gene, and which type of VacA has the most dramatic effect on the immune system. This work will be important in order to encourage clinicians to consider all the potential implications when contemplating which patients require treatment for Hp to ensure that it is not wiped out in the human population. In the future, a molecule similar to VacA could potentially be employed as a therapy against Multiple Sclerosis.