Publications
A full and updated publication record is available through Google Scholar, ORCID and the UNSW staff profile.
Selected recent and foundational papers
γδ T cell-derived IL-4 initiates CD8+ T cell immunity
Le S, Dooley N, Murphy D, Liu S, Gandolfo LC, Ge Z, et al.
γδ T cell-derived IL-4 initiates CD8+ T cell immunity.
Nature Immunology, 2026.
doi:10.1038/s41590-025-02397-z
A mechanistic immunology study identifying γδ T cell-derived IL-4 as a key signal for the development of CD8 T cell immunity against malaria.
Collaboration with Lynette Beattie (University of Melbourne)
Cross-protective SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particle vaccine
Earnest L, Ruiz DF, Edeling MA, Montoya JC, Yap AHY, Wong CY, et al.
Preclinical development of a cross-protective β-SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particle vaccine adjuvanted with MF59.
npj Vaccines, 2026.
doi:10.1038/s41541-025-01355-y
A translational vaccinology study developing a broadly protective SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particle vaccine platform.
Collaboration with Joe Torresi (University of Melbourne)
Sporozoite-specific liver-resident memory T cells drive malaria protection by the RAS vaccine
de Menezes MN, Ge Z, Cozijnsen A, Gras S, Bertolino P, Caminschi I, Lahoud MH, Yui K, McFadden GI, Beattie L, Heath WR, Fernández-Ruiz D.
Long-lived liver-resident memory T cells of biased specificities for abundant sporozoite antigens drive malaria protection by radiation-attenuated sporozoite vaccination.
PLoS Pathogens, 2025.
doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1012731
A mechanistic study showing how durable malaria protection through immunisation with radiation-attenuated sporozoites is linked to long-lived liver TRM cells targeting abundant sporozoite antigens.
mRNA vaccine tailored for liver-resident memory T cells
Ganley M, Holz LE, Minnell JJ, de Menezes MN, Burn OK, Poa KCY, et al.
mRNA vaccine against malaria tailored for liver-resident memory T cells.
Nature Immunology, 2023.
doi:10.1038/s41590-023-01562-6
A proof-of-principle study showing that mRNA vaccines can be deliberately designed to generate protective liver-resident memory T cells.
CpG-liposome adjuvants enhance liver TRM formation
Valencia-Hernandez AM, Zillinger T, Ge Z, Tan PS, Cozijnsen A, McFadden GI, et al.
Complexing CpG adjuvants with cationic liposomes enhances vaccine-induced formation of liver TRM cells.
Vaccine, 2023.
doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.12.047
This work demonstrates how vaccine adjuvant formulation can strongly influence the generation of protective liver-resident memory T cells.
Identification of a CD4 T cell epitope in Hsp90 - The cognate antigen of PbT-II cells
Plasmodium berghei Hsp90 contains a natural immunogenic I-A(b)-restricted antigen common to rodent and human Plasmodium species.
Current Research in Immunology 2021;2:79–92.
doi:10.1016/j.crimmu.2021.06.002
An antigen-discovery paper identifying Hsp90 as a conserved target for CD4 T cell immunity against malaria.
Glycolipid-peptide vaccination induces protective liver TRM cells
Holz LE, Chua YC, de Menezes MN, Anderson RJ, Draper SL, Compton BJ, et al.
Glycolipid-peptide vaccination induces liver-resident memory CD8+ T cells that protect against rodent malaria.
Science Immunology, 2020.
doi:10.1126/sciimmunol.aaz8035
A vaccine-engineering study showing that glycolipid-peptide vaccination can generate highly protective liver TRM cell immunity.
Spontaneous liver TRM cell formation from activated T cells
CD8(+) T Cell Activation Leads to Constitutive Formation of Liver Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells that Seed a Large and Flexible Niche in the Liver.
Cell Reports 2018;25(1):68–79.e4.
doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2018.08.094
A foundational study showing that liver TRM cells can form spontaneously from activated CD8 T cells.
Generation of the PbT-II mouse line - Plasmodium-specific, MHC-II restricted (CD4 T cells)
Fernández-Ruiz D, Lau LS, Ghazanfari N, Jones CM, Ng WY, Davey GM, et al.
Development of a novel CD4+ TCR transgenic line that reveals a dominant role for CD8+ dendritic cells and CD40 signaling in the generation of helper and CTL responses to blood-stage malaria.
Journal of Immunology, 2017.
doi:10.4049/jimmunol.1700186
This study introduced the PbT-II transgenic mouse line and clarified how dendritic cells and CD40 signalling shape malaria-specific CD4 T cell responses.
Generation of the PbT-I mouse line - Plasmodium-specific, MHC-I restricted (CD8 T cells)
Lau LS, Fernández-Ruiz D, Mollard V, Sturm A, Neller MA, Cozijnsen A, et al.
CD8+ T cells from a novel T cell receptor transgenic mouse induce liver-stage immunity that can be boosted by blood-stage infection in rodent malaria.
PLoS Pathogens, 2014.
doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1004135
This paper introduced the PbT-I transgenic mouse line, a major experimental tool for studying malaria-specific CD8 T cell immunity.