In a study published in the journal Science Immunology, Helmholtz Munich researcher Prof. Julia Esser-von Bieren and her team describe their findings concerning how worm (helminth) parasites evade host immune defenses. The helminths use a protein called helminth glutamate dehydrogenase (heGDH). When heGDH is internalized by the host’s macrophages (a type of immune white blood cell), the protein activates regulatory mechanisms that inhibit excessive inflammation. The research team is working on variants of heGDH that can inhibit the inflammatory response. Such research may eventually lead to clinical benefits in treating inflammatory conditions like asthma, allergies, and autoimmune diseases, and a host of other immune-mediated ailments. To read the study click here https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.adl1467.