Matthew Rogers BSc MSc PhD

Lecturer - BBSRC David Phillips Fellow

  

Matthew Rogers graduated from Imperial College, London with a degree in Biological Sciences. After a brief research assistantship at the International Institute of Parasitology, St Albans he studied for a MSc in Applied Parasitology and Medical Entomology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Following this he remained at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine to study for a PhD in Leishmania-sand fly interactions and to complete two post-doctoral appointments to continue his work on the transmission of leishmaniasis, funded by the Wellcome Trust and the World Health Organisation. In 2006 he began working on the immunology of Leishmania infection by sand fly bite, as a Wellcome Trust Advanced Training Fellow at Imperial College. During this time Matthew worked for the European Union-funded KALANET programme, a community-wide clinical trial of insecticide-impregnated bednets against visceral leishmaniasis in India and Nepal. In 2010, Matthew received a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council David Phillips Fellowship and moved to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where he is a lecturer in the Department of Infection and Immunity.

Affiliation

Teaching

MSc Immunology of Infectious Diseases - core immunology course and parasite immunology (Leishmania).

MSc Medical Parasitology - core course, Trypanosome and Leishmania immunology.

MSc Biology and Control of Disease Vectors – Leishmania-sand fly interactions, bloodmeal digestion and practical

MSc Medical Parasitology & MSc Biology and Control of Disease Vectors – Slapton Ley field course, writing a grant proposal

Co-organiser of Module 3166: Vector Biology and Vector-Parasite Interactions

Research

Our work focuses on understanding the vector-parasite –host interactions during the Leishmania life cycle. Specifically we research the cellular and molecular mechanisms of Leishmania infection of their sand fly vectors, the behavioural manipulation of sand flies, the immunological consequences of Leishmania transmission by sand fly bite and the role of promastigote secretory gel (PSG) – a novel component of the Leishmania infectious inoculum and parasite virulence factor, regurgitated during transmission. We maintain experimental sand fly colonies of Lutzomyia longipalpis and Phlebotomus argentipes in order to work on sand fly biology and natural models of visceral leishmaniasis (VL, Leishmania infantum and Leishmania donovani infection) and Leishmania mexicana infection as an experimental model of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Our aim is to characterise the effector mechanisms of both innate and acquired immunity to leishmaniasis, to understand how vector-derived molecules promote parasite infection. We also conduct research toward the development and evaluation of anti-leishmanial vaccines, using infected sand flies as the ‘gold standard’ for vaccine challenge. Current projects include: (i) mechanisms of PSG interaction with macrophages, (ii) investigation of the role of innate immune cells in resistance or susceptibility to natural Leishmania infection, (iii) induction and maintenance of macrophage alternative activation during Leishmania infection, (iv) wound healing following sand fly bite, (v) immunological evaluation of exposure to sand fly vectors, (vi) transmission biology of L. donovani, (vii) VL vector incrimination.

I lead a multidisciplinary research programme encompassing parasitology, entomology, immunology, and epidemiology and collaborate with field researchers in:

Research areas

  • Innate immunity
  • Insects

Disciplines

  • Immunoepidemiology
  • Immunology
  • Immunopathology
  • Parasitology
  • Vector biology

Disease and Health Conditions

  • Leishmaniasis
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