ORCID Profile
0000-0002-7584-887X
Current Organisations
Maurice Wilkins Centre
,
Malaghan Institute of Medical Research
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-04-2011
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 13-06-2022
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1039/C4SC03599B
Abstract: Glycolipid–peptide conjugates designed to release vaccine components within target cells ensuring potent CD1d dependent T cell responses.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC13416G
Abstract: Here we report a new, bench-top synthesis for iron/iron oxide core/shell nanoparticles via the thermal decomposition of Fe(η(5)-C(6)H(3)Me(4))(2). The iron/iron oxide core/shell nanoparticles are superparamagnetic at room temperature and show improved negative contrast in T(2)-weighted MR imaging compared to pure iron oxides nanoparticles, and have a transverse relaxivity (r(2)) of 332 mM(-1) s(-1).
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
Publisher: The American Association of Immunologists
Date: 15-03-2000
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 27-10-2017
DOI: 10.1021/ACSCHEMBIO.7B00845
Abstract: The development of a universal vaccine for influenza A virus (IAV) that does not require seasonal modification is a long-standing health goal, particularly in the context of the increasing threat of new global pandemics. Vaccines that specifically induce T cell responses are of considerable interest because they can target viral proteins that are more likely to be shared between different virus strains and subtypes and hence provide effective cross-reactive IAV immunity. From a practical perspective, such vaccines should induce T cell responses with long-lasting memory, while also being simple to manufacture and cost-effective. Here we describe the synthesis and evaluation of a vaccine platform based on solid phase peptide synthesis and bio-orthogonal conjugation methodologies. The chemical approach involves covalently attaching synthetic long peptides from a virus-associated protein to a powerful adjuvant molecule, α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer). Strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition is used as a simple and efficient method for conjugation, and pseudoproline methodology is used to increase the efficiency of the peptide synthesis. α-GalCer is a glycolipid that stimulates NKT cells, a population of lymphoid-resident immune cells that can provide potent stimulatory signals to antigen-presenting cells engaged in driving proliferation and differentiation of peptide-specific T cells. When used in mice, the vaccine induced T cell responses that provided effective prophylactic protection against IAV infection, with the speed of viral clearance greater than that seen from previous viral exposure. These findings are significant because the vaccines are highly defined, quick to synthesize, and easily characterized and are therefore appropriate for large scale affordable manufacture.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2011
DOI: 10.1016/J.CARRES.2011.02.014
Abstract: A highly efficient synthesis of the biologically important fluorescent probe dansyl α-GalCer is presented. Key in our strategy is the incorporation of the fluorescent dansyl group at an early stage in the synthesis to facilitate in the monitoring and purification of intermediates via TLC and flash column chromatography, respectively, and the use of a high yielding α-selective glycosylation reaction between the phytosphingosine lipid and a galactosyl iodide donor. The ability of dansyl α-GalCer to activate iNKT cells and to serve as a fluorescent marker for the uptake of glycolipid by dendritic cells is also presented.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-08-2016
DOI: 10.1002/MRC.4492
Abstract: Complex materials are ubiquitous in science, engineering and nature. One important parameter for characterising their morphology is the degree of anisotropy. Magnetic resonance imaging offers non-invasive methods for quantitative measurements of the materials anisotropy, most commonly via diffusion tensor imaging and the subsequent extraction of the spatially resolved fractional anisotropy (FA) value. Here, we propose an alternative way of determining the FA as a s le average for cases where spatially resolved methods are not needed or not applicable. It is based on a particular diffusion-diffusion correlation spectroscopy protocol, allowing for the extraction of the mean (i.e. s le averaged) FA value. We demonstrate that mean FA values obtained from three anisotropic biological tissues are consistent with those extracted using diffusion tensor imaging. Moreover, we show that differences of mean FA values in healthy and tumour-bearing mouse brains allow to distinguish these tissue types. We anticipate that the proposed method will be beneficial in the wider context of medical and material science. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2017
DOI: 10.1111/ALL.13185
Abstract: Sputum basophil numbers are increased in allergic asthmatics, but it is unclear what role airway basophils play in "TH2-low" asthma phenotypes. Using flow cytometry, we found that basophils were significantly increased in all asthmatics (n=26) compared with healthy controls (n=8) (P=0.007) with highest levels observed in eosinophilic asthma (EA) median 0.22%, IQR 0.11%-0.47% n=14) compared with non-EA (NEA) (0.06%, 0.00%-0.20% n=12 P<0.05). In asthmatics, basophils were positively correlated with sputum eosinophils (r=0.54 P<0.005) and inversely with sputum neutrophils (r=-0.46: P<0.05), but not with FEV
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 20-02-2013
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-07-2023
Publisher: The American Association of Immunologists
Date: 15-12-2008
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2004
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2006
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.JCONREL.2012.02.015
Abstract: Virus-like particles (VLP) are effective vehicles for delivery of heterologous antigen to antigen-presenting cells. However VLP alone are insufficiently stimulatory to generate the signals required to facilitate effective priming of naïve T cells. We show that the VLP derived from rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus can bind the galactose-containing adjuvant α-galactosylceramide to form a composite particle for co-delivery of antigen and adjuvant to the same antigen-presenting cell. Vaccination with VLP and α-galactosylceramide activated splenic iNKT cells to produce IFN-γ and IL-4, led to the generation of antigen-specific T cells that protected prophylactically against subcutaneous tumor challenge, and was more effective at generating anti-tumor immune responses than either component in idually. These data demonstrate a novel method for immunopotentiating VLP to increase their efficacy in the generation of anti-tumor responses via the innate ligand recognition properties of calicivirus-derived nanoparticles.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 29-05-2013
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2000
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-05-2012
Abstract: The immunomodulatory glycolipid α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) binds to CD1d and exhibits potent activity as a ligand for invariant CD1d-restricted natural killer-like T cells (iNKT cells). Structural analogues of α-GalCer have been synthesised to determine which components are required for CD1d presentation and iNKT cell activation, however, to date the importance of the phytosphingosine 4-hydroxyl for iNKT cell activation has been disputed. To clarify this, we synthesised two 4-deoxy α-GalCer analogues (sphinganine and sphingosine) and investigated their ability to activate murine and human iNKT cells. Analysis revealed that the analogues possessed comparable activity to α-GalCer in stimulating murine iNKT cells, but were severely compromised in their ability to stimulate human iNKT cells. Here we determined that species-specific glycolipid activity was due to a lack of recognition of the analogues by the T-cell receptors on human iNKT cells rather than insufficient presentation of the analogues on human CD1d molecules. From these results we suggest that glycolipids developed for potent iNKT cell activity in humans should contain a phytosphingosine base.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-01-2012
Publisher: The American Association of Immunologists
Date: 02-2009
DOI: 10.4049/JIMMUNOL.182.3.1260
Abstract: An efficient pathway of cross-presentation common to a range of dendritic cell (DC) populations was identified by targeting Ag to MHC class II molecules. This finding was achieved by conjugating Ag to M1, which is a modified version of the superantigen streptococcal mitogenic exotoxin Z-2 that binds to MHC class II molecules but cannot directly stimulate T cells. M1 conjugates were efficiently presented to CD4+ and CD8+ T cells by bone marrow-derived DC and Langerhans cells in vitro. Whereas nonconjugated Ag was preferentially cross-presented by splenic CD8α+ DC in vivo, M1-conjugated Ag was cross-presented by all dendritic subtypes assessed. Potent effector T cell responses with antitumor activity were elicited when M1 conjugates were injected together with an adjuvant. This method of Ag delivery has significant potential in therapeutic applications.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-06-2020
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Ian Hermans.