VALID8

Dr Hua Wang is a VALIDATE Associate and a Chancellor's Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Strathclyde, UK, specializing in mycobacterial diseases such as tuberculosis, leprosy, and non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections. For World Leprosy Day 2025, we asked Hua about his career and research.

Keep an eye out for more interviews from other members of our network on our VALID8 page.

1. What do you do/what do you research?

My research focuses on the functional characterisation of proteins involved in leprosy and non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections. These proteins are investigated for their enzymatic activity as potential drug targets or their immunogenic activity for vaccine development strategies. A part of this investigation includes the development of an in vitro leprosy infection model due to the challenges of studying leprosy in laboratory settings.

Additionally, my research delves into biotechnology, using enzymes as biomolecular tools to study cellular processes or to generate more sustainable materials.

2. What do you tell non-scientists you do?

I study bacterial infectious diseases, like leprosy and other emerging infections caused by similar bacteria found in the environment. My work focuses on understanding how these bacteria gather nutrients and evade the immune system to grow and survive. By figuring this out, we can develop drugs to stop them in their tracks and create vaccines to train our immune systems to prevent infections.

3. What is leprosy, and what drew you to study it?

Leprosy is a chronic and neglected disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Symptoms, listed by the CDC, include discoloured patches of skin, painless ulcers, enlarged nerves, and, in severe cases, loss of sensation, paralysis, and deformity. It is a curable disease with antibiotics, but early diagnosis is crucial to avoid permanent peripheral nerve damage. The WHO recommends a multidrug therapy regimen consisting of three antibiotics: rifampicin, clofazimine, and dapsone.

Despite being treatable, leprosy carries significant social stigma due to its historical, cultural, and religious associations, with mentions in ancient texts and the Bible before the discovery of microorganisms. The International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations found there are still 139 discriminatory laws and regulations against people affected by leprosy in 24 countries.

What we know so far about leprosy transmission is that it is likely transmitted through prolonged close contact with infected individuals via aerosol droplets from the nose and mouth, though zoonotic transmission has been proposed. Leprosy bacteria have been found in animals like armadillos, red squirrels, and monkeys. Ploemacher et al. (2020) have carried out a comprehensive systematic review on research publications between 1945 and 2019 on this topic.

I became interested in leprosy because of my work on tuberculosis. When I completed my doctoral research in developing antimicrobial drugs, I wanted to better understand bacteria. I transitioned from chemistry to microbiology for my postdoctoral training at the MRC National Institute of Medical Research and the Francis Crick Institute. After four years studying Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the science and history of M. leprae caught my attention, and the idea of what research means to me—to be multidisciplinary and have the opportunity to collaborate with social scientists—also led me to study leprosy.

4. Why is your work important and what could it lead to?

My work is important because it addresses the need for a leprosy-specific vaccine and an in vitro lab infection model, without the use of animals, to study leprosy pathogenesis. These advancements could lead to a new leprosy vaccine to reduce and eradicate this disease and contribute to the WHO Global Leprosy Strategy 2021–2030 “Towards Zero Leprosy,” and a better understanding of how M. leprae invades the skin, evades our immune system, and damages the peripheral nerves so that we can develop new treatment strategies. Beyond the scientific implications, this work has the potential to alleviate the stigma surrounding leprosy by contributing to public health solutions that reduce transmission and improve outcomes for affected individuals and communities.

5. What is the most interesting thing you have learned in your job?

This is a tough question to answer because there are so many interesting things that I have learned from my job! For now, the most interesting thing has been learning more about myself and the nature of scientific work. One of the biggest lessons has been understanding that failure is a valuable part of the job. Experiments often don’t work, but even those ‘failures’ provide important insights about what does not work to help us reach what does.

6. What is the best part of your job?

Learning—about life, our world, and ourselves. Another is meeting wonderful and incredible people who are genuinely dedicated to making a difference.

A recent highlight was my visit to Lalgadh Leprosy Hospital with Working Hands in Nepal. I learned a lot about leprosy from the healthcare professionals and patients. It was inspiring to meet an orchestra of compassionate healthcare professionals helping and supporting leprosy patients.

7. What is the most challenging part of your job or research, especially regarding working with a 'neglected' disease like leprosy?

I think solely working on neglected diseases like leprosy is challenging, especially as an early career researcher establishing a research lab. The unfortunate reality is that there are a lot of problems in our world, and research funding is limited. It was particularly challenging when I started my independent research career by jumping from tuberculosis to leprosy because there is far less basic science knowledge about M. leprae. It did not help that M. leprae cannot be cultivated in artificial media, requires animal models, and grows very slowly (two weeks doubling time!). At the same time, it was quite exciting because I get to think creatively and explore new methods.

8. In recognition of World Leprosy Day, how does your research help in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (like leprosy), and why are vaccines vital in this context?

The vaccine work is a global effort, and there have been exciting developments in leprosy vaccines. I am hoping my research will contribute to the global fight against tropical diseases like leprosy by developing a safe and effective leprosy vaccine and a leprosy infection model. The vaccine would support public health by reducing the incidence of the disease and its stigma, and the leprosy infection model could be adopted by research labs worldwide to accelerate the study of leprosy pathogenesis and neuropathy, ultimately advancing our understanding of the disease and its treatment.

Although leprosy is a curable disease with multidrug therapy, antimicrobial resistance to those antibiotics has been reported, highlighting the need for preventive measures. Vaccines are vital in this context because they train our immune systems to prevent infections, thus reducing our reliance on antimicrobial drugs and the spread of drug-resistant strains. Furthermore, vaccines can help break the stigma surrounding leprosy as a preventable and manageable disease.