The Univeristy of Melbourne The Royal Melbourne Hopspital

A joint venture between The University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital

  • Research Groups
    • Kent Group

      Stephen’s group studies immunity to HIV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2. They are analysing a variety of vaccine strategies, including nanoparticle-based vaccines. They are studying a series of immune responses to gain better insights into protective immunity to important viral pathogens. They are developing monoclonal antibody therapies for HIV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 to improve the treatment of these infections. The Kent group works very closely with Dr Amy Chung’s laboratory at the Doherty Institute.

      Other work areas include:COVID-19, Immunology, HIV


    Current Projects

    • Combined Influenza-AIDS Vaccines

      Influenza and HIV are both serious global pathogens. Can a single vaccine be designed to cover both viruses? Recent advances in reverse genetic techniques allow insertion of foreign antigens into live influenza viruses. Further, live attenuated influenza vaccines are now highly effective vaccines. Stephen’s group is designing recombinant influenza vaccines with inserted HIV antigens to test as a combined Influenza-AIDS vaccine. An advantage of this strategy is that as a mucosal virus, there is a strong likelihood that immunity at mucosal surfaces, where HIV is first encountered, can be induced with this approach. 

    • Influenza – specific ADCC: role in a Universal Flu vaccine?

      Influenza mutates regularly to avoid neutralising antibodies. Immune responses targeting more conserved areas are needed to combat new flu pandemics. Stephen’s group have adapted and refined their HIV ADCC assays to study Influenza. They have found there is a remarkable degree of cross-reactivity in influenza ADCC immunity. They recently found that influenza ADCC can play a role in reducing the severity of the 2009 Swine Flu epidemic. The work opens up a whole new field of flu immunity. They are now studying how flu-specific ADCC can be induced by vaccination and lead to protective immunity.

    • Influenza immunity and novel vaccines

      Seasonal Influenza continues to extract a huge toll on the community and there is the ever-present threat of new pandemics. Led by Dr Adam Wheatley, we are making headway into improving our understanding of influenza immunity with a view to improving vaccines. Current vaccines are imperfect and often target variable regions of the virus which “drift” away from effective immunity each winter. We are focussing on improving immunity, both antibodies and CD4 T cell helper cells (“Tfh”) to conserved parts of influenza, including the stem of HA. We also have a major interest in improving ADCC antibodies against influenza. The group has had a major push to understand and improve immunity to Influenza type B viruses and we have now generated panels of monoclonal antibodies that target this virus. We have series of exciting projects studying nanoparticle vaccines where tiny capsules are loaded with vaccine antigens to protect them from degradation and target important immune cells that stimulate effective immunity.


    Lab Team

    Kent Group

    • Dr Adam Wheatley
      Laboratory Head
    • Laboratory Head
    • Hyon-Xhi Tan
      Postdoctoral Fellow
    • Research Fellow
    • Research Officer
    • Rosela Webster
      Postdoctoral Fellow
    • Mai Ngoc Vu
      Postdoctoral Fellow
    • Lara Schwab
      Postdoctoral Fellow
    • Mitchell Zheng
      Postdoctoral Fellow
    • Mai-Chi Trieu
      Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow
    • Andrew Kelly
      Research Assistant
    • Lauren Burmas
      Research Assistant
    • Julie Nguyen
      Research Assistant
    • Robyn Esterbauer
      Research Assistant
    • Thakshila Amarasena
      Research Support Officer
    • Jane Batten
      Project Manager
    • Janavi Rambhatla
      Senior Project Officer
    • Devaki Pilapitiya
      PhD Student
    • Ruth Purcell
      PhD Student (co-supervisor with Amy Chung)
    • Isaac Barber-Axthelm
      PhD Student
    • Kirsty Field
      PhD Student
    • Samantha Davis
      PhD Student (co-supervisor with Amy Chung)
    • Thu Do
      PhD Student
    • Yee-Chen Liu
      PhD Student
    • Veronica Zoest
      PhD Student
    • Professor David O'Connor
      Honorary
    • Professor Shelby O'Connor
      Honorary
    • Dr David (Yi) Ju
      Honorary
    • Dr Hillary Vanderven
      Honorary
    • A/Prof Matt Parsons
      Honorary
    • Dr Nghia Truong
      Honorary
    • Dr Sinth Jegaskanda
      Honorary
    • A/Prof Steve Rockman
      Honorary
    • Dr Emily Pilkington
      Guest Scientist
    • Dr Shiyao Li
      Guest Scientist
    • Diyana Hassanel
      Guest Scientist
    • Zihnil Mazrad
      Guest Scientist

    Clinical Research

    Anyone can be infected by influenza, but some people are more susceptible to infection, severe disease and clinical complications. Clinical studies at the Doherty Institute are focused on specific risk groups, seeking to understand characteristics of viruses and the immune system that result in increased susceptibility and clinical severity. In particular, current studies are considering:

    Doherty Institute researchers are also characterising immune responses to influenza vaccination or infection in various groups of people, including:

    Now recruiting volunteers

    There are currently no Now recruiting volunteers

    Current projects

    • Influenza

      How do cross-reactive memory B cells affect influenza vaccine titers?

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    • Influenza

      LIFT: Investigating T cell immunity to influenza in Indigenous populations

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    • Influenza

      Understanding immunity to influenza viruses in patients hospitalised with severe and fatal disease

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