Professor Alex Loukas

Position

Senior Research Fellow and Laboratory Head

Address

Queensland Tropical Health Alliance
James Cook University
Cairns, QLD 4878
Phone: 07 4042 1608
Email: Alex.Loukas@jcu.edu.au

Research interests

Our main interest is secretions of parasitic helminths and their molecular interactions with host tissues, with particular emphasis on using these molecules as vaccines and novel therapeutics.

Qualifications

Ph.D., 1995

Ten Most Significant Publications

Loukas AC, Opdebeeck JP, Croese TJ, Prociv P (1994) Immunologic incrimination of Ancylostoma caninum as a human enteric pathogen. Am J Trop Med Hyg 50: 69-77.

Loukas A, Mullin NP, Tetteh KKA, Moens L, Maizels RM (1999) A novel C-type lectin is the major secretory product of a tissue-dwelling parasitic nematode. Curr Biol 9: 825-828.

Williamson AL, Abbenante G, Brindley PJ, Prociv P, Girdwood K, Berry C, Pritchard DI, Fairlie D, Hotez PJ, Dalton JP, Loukas A. (2002) Cleavage of hemoglobin by hookworm cathepsin D aspartic proteases and its contribution to host-specificity. FASEB J 16: 1458-60.

Smyth DJ, McManus DP, Smout MJ, Laha T, Zhang, W, Loukas A. (2003) Identification of novel cDNAs encoding schistosome surface and secreted proteins using signal sequence trap. Infect Immun 71: 2548-54.

Loukas A, Bethony JM, Williamson AL, Goud GN, Mendez S, Zhan B, Hawdon JM, Bottazzi ME, Brindley PJ, Hotez PJ (2004) Vaccination of dogs with a recombinant cysteine protease from the intestine of canine hookworms diminishes fecundity and growth of worms. J Infect Dis 189:1952-61.

*Hsieh GC, *Loukas A, Kehn KW, Bhatia M, Wahl AM, Wang Y, Maruyama H, Hotez PJ, Leitenberg D, Constant SL (2004) A secreted protein from the human hookworm Necator americanus binds exclusively to Natural Killer cells and induces IFN-g   production.  J Immunol 173: 2699-704.  *joint first authors.

Williamson AL, Lecchi P, Hotez PJ, Turk BE, Choe Y, McKerrow JH, Cantley LC, Sajid M, Loukas A (2004)  A multi-enzyme cascade of hemoglobin proteolysis in the intestine of blood-feeding hookworms.  J Biol Chem 279: 35950-7. 

Loukas A, Bethony JM, Mendez S, Fujiwara RT, Goud GN, Zhan B, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ (2005) Vaccination with recombinant aspartic hemoglobinase reduces parasite load and protects against anemia after challenge infection with blood-feeding hookworms in dogs.  PLoS Med 2(10): e295.

*Tran MH, *Pearson MS†, *Bethony JM, Smyth DJ, Jones MK, Duke M, Don TA, McManus DP, Correa-Oliveira R, Loukas A (2006) Tetraspanins on the surface of Schistosoma mansoni are protective vaccine antigens in mice and Sm-TSP-2 is selectively recognized by naturally resistant individuals.  Nature Med 12: 835-40. *authors contributed equally.

Loukas A, Bethony J, Brooker S, Hotez PJ (2006) Hookworm Vaccines – past, present and future.  Lancet Infect Dis  6: 733-41.

Currently Held Grants

Salary Support

NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship (level A) C.I. A. Loukas Support period - 01/07 - 12/11 $511,000 over 5 years

Grants

NHMRC project grant (389813) Haemoglobinases as anti-hookworm vaccines C.I.A - A. Loukas; C.I.B - P. Hotez Support period - 01/06 - 12/08 $510,000 over 3 years

NHMRC Project Grant (442907) Roles of tetraspanins in the schistosome tegument C.I.A - A. Loukas; C.I.B - M.K. Jones Support period - 01/07 - 12/09 $411,000 over 3 years

NHMRC Project Grant (442910) Transport pathways for host-derived iron in schistosome parasites C.I.A - M.K. Jones; C.I.B - A. Loukas; C.I.C - D. McManus Support period - 01/07 - 12/09 $250,000 over 3 years

ARC Discovery Project (DP0665230) Molecular characterization of the early events in the transition to parasitism by hookworm larvae C.I.A - R. Gasser; C.I.B - A. Loukas Support period - 01/06 - 12/08 $252,000 over 3 years

ARC Linkage Project (LP0667795) Targeted mining for new drugs against parasitic nematodes of animals - a synergy of integrated, frontier technologies and a committed partnership with industry C.I.A - R.B. Gasser; C.I.B - S. Ranganathan; P.I.A - I. Beveridge; P.I.B - A. Loukas Support period - 01/06 - 12/08 $241,000 over 3 years (ARC contribution only)

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Research Grant Chief Investigators - P. Hotez, A. Loukas Awarded to Sabin Vaccine Institute, George Washington University and QIMR Development and clinical testing of the Na-APR-1 Hookworm Vaccine. Support period - 08/06 - 07/10 $US13.2 million over 4 years - Loukas subcontract receives $500,000 for yr 1 and $400,000 per yr for years 2-4.

NIH, NIAID RO1 grant (R01 AI059280-01a2) C.I.s: S.L. Constant, A. Loukas, J.M. Bethony, R. Correa-Oliveira Immunomodulation by hookworms Support period 01/06 - 12/09 $USD1,000,000 over 4 years Loukas subcontract receives $USD 75,000 per yr.