Unraveling the Interactions between Gut Microbiota, Helminth & Host Immunity
The Wang Lab investigates the complex regulatory roles of gut microbes and helminths on host immune responses to develop new strategies against infectious (e.g., echinococcosis) and inflammatory diseases (e.g., IBD) .
Research Thrusts
Crosstalk between Parasitic Worms and the Gut Microbiota
Investigating how helminths interact with the existing gut microbial community and how these complex dynamics influence host immune responses or inflammatory disease progression. Different to the frequently used nematode model, our lab develops a new model of larval cestode, which could provide new insights. See more about this model system in our paper in **Gut microbes, 2025**
Regulation of Gut Symbionts on Host Immunity
Focusing on the mechanisms by which symbionts (gut microbes and helminths) regulate and fine-tune systemic and mucosal host immune responses to maintain health and prevent chronic inflammatory disorders (e.g., IBD and Inflammageing). We have established several cohorts for these researches including prospective and longitudinal cohorts for long-lived populations, who rarely suffer inflammatory diseases.
New Therapies for Infections and Inflammatory Diseases
Developing novel therapeutic strategies based on modulating the gut symboint (microbes/helminthes) axis to treat severe helminth infections and inflammatory diseases such as IBD. Our Onging projects include studies and clinical trials of gut microbiota intervention and gut-derived metabolites on treating IBD in dogs and monkeys.
Meet The Team
Dr. Shuai Wang (Principal Investigator)
School of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University & Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, CAAS, China
Dr. Wang's research focuses on the regulations of the gut microbiota and helminths on the host immune responses, aiming to develop new strategies for treating severe helminth infections and inflammatory diseases like IBD.
View Full Profile →Researchers & Students
View Lab Alumni
Yang Zou
Postdoctoral Fellow
Gut Microbiome-helminth interactions
Yugui Wang
Postdoctoral Fellow
Helminth immunoregulation
Yihui Liu
PhD candidate
Gut Microbiome-helminth interactions
YingYing Ding
PhD candidate
Microbiome-targeted therapy for IBD
Lixia Pu
PhD candidate
Bioinformatician for gut microbiome analysis
Xiaola Guo
Associate Professor
Helminth immunoregulation
Selected Publications
Bile acid synthesis dysregulation in liver diseases promotes ectopic expansion of oral streptococci in the intestine
Wang, Yugui, Mu, Wenjie, and others.
*Cell Reports* | 2025 DOI Link (Update Required) →
Helminth reshapes host gut microbiota and immunoregulation by deploying an antimicrobial program of innate immunity
Zou, Yang, Pu, Lixia, and others.
*Gut Microbes* | 2025 DOI Link (Update Required) →
*Blastocystis* load mediates the gut microbiome associations with within-host diversity of *Blastocystis* in non-human primates
Ma, Pingping, Mu, Wenjie, and others.
*ISME communications* | 2025 DOI Link (Update Required) →
*Echinococcus multilocularis* serpin regulates macrophage polarization and reduces gut dysbiosis in colitis
Li, Xiaolu, Liu, Yihui, and others.
*Infection and Immunity* | 2024 DOI Link (Update Required) →
Taeniasis impacts human gut microbiome composition and function
Mu, Wenjie, Ma, Pingping, and others.
*The ISME Journal* | 2024 DOI Link (Update Required) →
The gut mycobiome signatures in long-lived populations
Pu, Lixia, Pang, Shifu, and others.
*iScience* | 2024 DOI Link (Update Required) →
Longevity of centenarians is reflected by the gut microbiome with youth-associated signatures
Pang, Shifu, Chen, Xiaodong, and others.
*Nature Aging* | 2023 DOI Link (Update Required) →
Interaction between tissue-dwelling helminth and the gut microbiota drives mucosal immunoregulation
Wang, Yugui, Guo, Aijiang, and others.
*npj Biofilms and Microbiomes* | 2023 DOI Link (Update Required) →
HIV protease inhibitor nelfinavir is a potent drug candidate against echinococcosis by targeting Ddi1-like protein
Liu, Zhongli, Guo, Xiaola, and others.
*EBioMedicine* | 2022 DOI Link (Update Required) →
Diet-induced remission in chronic enteropathy is associated with altered microbial community structure and synthesis of secondary bile acids
Wang, Shuai, Martins, Rene, and others.
*Microbiome* | 2019 DOI Link (Update Required) →
Infection-induced intestinal dysbiosis is mediated by macrophage activation and nitrate production
Wang, Shuai, El-Fahmawi, Ayah, and others.
*mBio* | 2019 DOI Link (Update Required) →
Comparative genomics reveals adaptive evolution of Asian tapeworm in switching to a new intermediate host
Wang, Shuai, Wang, Sen, and others.
*Nature Communications* | 2016 DOI Link (Update Required) →
Lab News & Highlights
Latest Update: December 2025
[LATEST NEWS] Dr. Yang Zou Awarded NSFC Early Career Grant
We are thrilled to announce that Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Yang Zou has secured a major grant to study helminth immunomodulation. Read more details about this exciting project!
Get in Touch
We are actively looking for talented students and postdocs interested in **gut microbiology, host-pathogen interactions, and immune regulation**.
Dr. Shuai Wang (Principal Investigator)
Lanzhou University & LVRI, CAAS, Lanzhou, China