Alex Loukas obtained his BSc Hons in 1990 and PhD in 1995 from University of Queensland, Australia. He conducted postdoctoral studies at University of Edinburgh (UK) and held faculty positions at George Washington University (US), Queensland Institute of Medical Research, and most recently at James Cook University (Australia) where he is currently Distinguished Professor. Loukas' research focuses on the molecular basis of parasitism in human helminth (worm) infections with a focus on conducting clinical trials where patients with immune dysregulation diseases are experimentally infected with parasitic hookworms. Biomarkers of efficacy identified in clinical trials then form the rationale for identification of hookworm secreted proteins with the same bioactivities. By way of example, Loukas and colleagues showed that: (i) hookworm infection increases the number of regulatory T cells in the gut of infected patients, then the team identified a hookworm recombinant protein with the same in vivo effect when administered to mice. Loukas' research is funded by Australian, European and US governments, philanthropies and venture capital groups, He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed research articles and holds numerous international patents. Loukas co-founded Macrobiome with Dr Paul Giacomin to translate their research findings into next-generation therapeutics inspired by host-parasite coevolution.