Senior research fellow, Andreas Kupz, has embarked on a biological arms race to develop an effective life-long vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) in the face of steadily growing drug resistance to the disease.

The current vaccine, BCG, (Bacille Calmette-Guérin), only protects children. Dr Kupz is working to genetically enhance BCG to protect adults as well.

Andreas studied Biology at Humboldt University in Berlin, then moved to Australia, where he obtained an Endeavour International Postgraduate Scholarship to undertake his PhD at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at The University of Melbourne.

His PhD study on immunity to invasive salmonellosis, in the context of AIDS-induced immunosuppression, identified a new pathway that leads to immunity to the infection. It garnered him a Dean’s award in 2011, as well as publication in respected journals such as Nature Immunology and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

In 2013, a fellowship from the National Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC) took him back to Berlin to equip himself with the skills required to launch an ambitious new research project at AITHM – finding a more effective vaccine for TB.

He spent three years at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, one of the world’s leading TB research institution, before returning to Australia to launch the AITHM research group, Tuberculosis Immunology, funded by an NHMRC Career Development Fellowship.

A 2018 JCU Rising Stars ECR (Early Career Researcher) Leadership Award winner and a 2020 Queensland Young Tall Poppy Science Award winner, he is currently in the pre-clinical stages of his research, which aims to develop an enhanced live recombinant strain of BCG.

He is also pursuing salmonella research, and investigating immune response to toxoplasmosis, in the context of immunosuppression. The parasitic disease is also a major cause of death in AIDS sufferers.

 

Teaching

• TM5501: Tropical Medicine (Level 5; TSV)

Experience

• 2018 to present - NHMRC Career Development Fellow, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (Cairns, Australia)
• 2016 to 2017 - NHMRC CJ Martin Research Fellow, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (Cairns, Australia)
• 2015 to 2016 - Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology (Berlin, Germany)
• 2013 to 2015 - NHMRC CJ Martin Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology (Berlin, Germany)
• 2011 to 2013 - Research Officer, The University of Melbourne (Melbourne, Australia)
• 2008 to 2011 - PhD student, The University of Melbourne (Melbourne, Australia)
• 2006 to 2007 - Research Assistant, University Hospital Charite (Berlin, Germany)

Research Disciplines

• Immunology (3204)
• Microbiology (3107)
• Clinical sciences (3202)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Expanding knowledge (2801)
• Clinical health (2001)

Awards

• 2020 - Queensland Young Tall Poppy Science Award
• 2019 - Cairns Health Research Symposium, Lightning Presentation Award
• 2018 - James Cook University, Rising Stars ECR Leadership Award
• 2014 - Australasian Society of Immunology International Postgraduate Travel Award to attend Keystone Symposium on tuberculosis
• 2012 - Dean's Award for Excellence in PhD Research; Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences; The University of Melbourne
• 2011 - New Investigator Award at the 41st Australasian Society for Immunology International Conference
• 2011 - Pfizer PhD Oration Award
• 2011 - PhD Travel Award from the Australasian Society for Immunology
• 2010 - Scholarship from The University of Melbourne to undertake the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Learning and Leadership
• 2010 - Second Prize for oral presentation at the Victorian Infection and Immunity Network Postgraduate Student Symposium
• 2009 - Melbourne Abroad Travelling Scholarship (MATS), The University of Melbourne
• 2009 - First Poster Prize at Victorian Infection and Immunity Network Postgraduate Student Symposium
• 2009 - Travel Grant from the American Society of Microbiology to attent the 3rd International Conference on Salmonella in Aix-en-Provence, France
• 2008 - Endeavour International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS)

Fellowships

• 2018 to 2021 - NHMRC Career Development Fellowship Level I
• 2012 to 2017 - NHMRC CJ Martin Overseas Biomedical Early Career Fellowship

Memberships

• 2019 - Co-chair of the ‘Collaboration for TB Vaccine Development (CTVD) – Live Attenuated Vaccines Group’ at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• 2019 - Member ASI Queensland Committee
• 2019 - Member of the Advisory Council for the 6th Global TB Forum
• 2019 - Member of the CTVD Advisory Council
• 2019 - Institute representative for the Special Interest Group ‘Innate Immunity’, Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology (ASI)
• 2011 - Australian Society for Microbiology
• 2010 - Australasian Society for Immunology
• 2009 to 2010 - American Society of Microbiology

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Flores-Valdez M, Kupz A and Subbian S (2022) Recent Developments in Mycobacteria-Based Live Attenuated Vaccine Candidates for Tuberculosis. Biomedicines, 10 (11).
• Karunathilaka A, Halstrom S, Price P, Holt M, Lutzky V, Doolan D, Kupz A, Bell S, Thomson R, Miles J and Ratnatunga C (2022) CD161 expression defines new human ?? T cell subsets. Immunity & Ageing, 19.
• Muruganandah V and Kupz A (2022) Immune responses to bacterial lung infections and their implications for vaccination. International Immunology, 34 (5). pp. 231-248
• Nisa A, Kipper F, Panigrahy D, Tiwari S, Kupz A and Subbian S (2022) Different modalities of host cell death and their impact on Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. American Journal of Physiology: cell physiology, 323 (5). pp. C1444-C1474
• Ratnatunga C, Tungatt K, Proietti C, Halstrom S, Holt M, Lutzky V, Price P, Doolan D, Bell S, Field M, Kupz A, Thomson R and Miles J (2022) Characterizing and correcting immune dysfunction in non-tuberculous mycobacterial disease. Frontiers in Immunology, 13.
• Adegboye O, Field M, Kupz A, Pai S, Sharma D, Smout M, Wangchuk P, Wong Y and Loiseau C (2021) Natural-product-based solutions for tropical infectious diseases. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 34 (4).
• Heijmenberg I, Husain A, Sathkumara Mudiyanse H, Muruganandah V, Seifert J, Miranda-Hernandez S, Kashyap R, Field M, Krishnamoorthy G and Kupz A (2021) ESX-5-targeted export of ESAT-6 in BCG combines enhanced immunogenicity & efficacy against murine tuberculosis with low virulence and reduced persistence. Vaccine, 39 (50). pp. 7265-7276
• Husain A, Kupz A and Kashyap R (2021) Controlling the drug-resistant tuberculosis epidemic in India: challenges and implications. Epidemiology and Health, 43.
• Khudhair Z, Alhallaf R, Eichenberger R, Whan J, Kupz A, Field M, Krause L, Wilson D, Daly N, Giacomin P, Sotillo J and Loukas A (2021) Gastrointestinal helminth infection improves insulin sensitivity, decreases systemic inflammation, and alters the composition of gut microbiota in distinct mouse models of Type 2 diabetes. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 11.
• Peres N, Wang N, Whitney P, Engel S, Shreenivas M, Comerford I, Hocking D, Erazo A, Forster I, Kupz A, Gebhardt T, McColl S, McSorley S, Bedoui S and Strugnell R (2021) CD4+ T cell immunity to Salmonella is transient in the circulation. PLoS Pathogens, 17 (10).
• Sathkumara H, Eaton J, Field M, Govan B, Ketheesan N and Kupz A (2021) A murine model of tuberculosis/type 2 diabetes comorbidity for investigating the microbiome, metabolome and associated immune parameters. Animal Models and Experimental Medicine, 4 (2). pp. 181-188

Book Chapters

• Strugnell R, Newton H and Kupz A (2022) Survival Strategies of Intracellular Bacterial Pathogens. In: Molecular Medical Microbiology. Elsevier

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 48+ research outputs authored by A/PROF Andreas Kupz from 2007 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Antimicrobial Properties of Molecular Isolates from Tropical Flora and Fauna (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Understanding Immunogenicity, Safety and Protective Efficacy of next-generation Vaccines for Tuberculosis (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Understanding Immunity to Tuberculosis for the Rational Design of Improved Vaccines (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Airway Resident Memory T Cell Development and Persistence: The Key to Induction of Sterile Immunity against Pulmonary Tuberculosis? (PhD , Primary Advisor)

Completed

• Mechanisms driving tuberculosis susceptibility and vaccine efficacy in HIV/AIDS and type 2 diabetes (2020, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Deconstructing the immunopathogenesis of lung infections (2019, PhD , Secondary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.