Professor Mariapia Degli-Esposti

• Bachelor of Science with Honours (First Class)
• The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia
• PhD – awarded with special commendation for outstanding distinction, Department of Pathology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia

• 2023 – Elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science
• 2022 – President elect, Society for Natural Immunity (international)
• 2019 – Winner, The Australian Museum UNSW Eureka Prize for Scientific Research. Australia
• 2018 – Elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. Australia
• 2017 – Cancer Researcher of the Year 2017, Cancer Council WA award for the most outstanding contribution to cancer research over the last 3 years, Cancer Council of Western Australia. Australia
• 2016 – Faculty of 1000, Member for Immunology, Innate Immunity; membership by nomination. International
• 2015 – The Vice-Chancellor’s Senior Research Award for sustained career excellence and distinguished achievement in research, The University of Western Australia. Australia
• 2001-05 Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow in Biomedical Science, only one ever awarded in Western Australia. Australia
• 1999 – AMRAD Post-doctoral Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research. Australia
• 1992 – PhD awarded with special commendation for outstanding distinction. Australia

• NHMRC Leadership Fellow – L3 Investigator – current
• NHMRC Principal Research Fellowships
• Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship in Biomedical Science

• Continuous NHMRC Research Fellowships since 2000
• Continuous NGMRC funding for 20 years including two consecutive NHMRC Program Grants
• Other national competitive funding including ARC LIEF and Discovery Projects
• International Funding from NIH

Professor Degli-Esposti’s research focuses on understanding the regulation of complex immune responses, including those that affect the eye. Dysregulated immunity and inflammation play key roles in many eye diseases including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and uveitis. Professor Degli-Esposti’s laboratory has elucidated novel interactions between components of the immune system and how they affect the outcome of immune responses. These findings have been key to both basic and translational research aimed at developing improved therapies by harnessing the immune system.

The originality, significance and breadth of Professor Degli-Esposti’s work are attested by a sustained output of high impact publications and the international reputation of her research. Her research is published in journals of the highest standing and reach including Science, Lancet, Immunity, is extensively cited, and she is regularly invited to deliver keynotes and plenaries at international meetings. Amongst Professor Degli-Esposti’s achievements was the participation in a first-in-human clinical trial conducted at LEI where she defined the immunological safety of gene therapy for the treatment of a Macular Degeneration.

The Immunology team has developed unique models to

1. Develop novel therapies autoimmune diseases that affect the eye (e.g. Sjögren’s Disease) and other dry eye diseases.
2. Understand the effect of viral infection on the functioning of neural tissues such as the retina
3. Investigate the role of virally induced inflammation on the development of diseases such as macular degeneration
4. Improve the outcome of viral infections that cause life-threatening disease, as well as ocular complications, in transplant patients.

1. Infection of dendritic cells by murine cytomegalovirus induces functional paralysis. https://doi.org/10.1038/ni724
   Accompanied by News & Views by P Lehner and G Wilkinson, Cambridge Institute of Medical Research and University of Wales College of Medicine.
2. Interaction between conventional dendritic cells and natural killer cells is integral to the activation of effective anti-viral immunity.
   https://doi.org/10.1038/ni1244
   Recommended by F1000Prime.
3. TRAIL+ NK cells control CD4+ T cell responses during chronic viral infection to limit autoimmunity.
   https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.immuni.2014.09.013
   Comments in international patients’ literature e.g.
   https://www.susanbakermd.com/blog/the-link-between-sjogrens-syndrome-and-infections-what-you-need-to-know
4. Secretion gene therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration: One year follow up of a phase 1 randomised clinical trial.
   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2017.02.018
   Accompanied by a Commentary by R McLaren, University of Oxford and Oxford University Eye Hospital. Recommended by F1000Prime.
5. Strain-specific antibody therapy prevents cytomegalovirus reactivation after transplantation.
   https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aat0066
   Accompanied by a Commentary from M-L Alegre, University of Chicago. 2019 Eureka Prize for Scientific Research.
6. MHC class II antigen presentation by the intestinal epithelium initiates graft-versus-host disease and is influenced by the microbiota. Immunity https://doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2019.08.011
7. Modulation of innate and adaptive immunity by cytomegaloviruses. Nature Reviews Immunology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41577-019-0225-5
8. Immune control of cytomegalovirus reactivation in stem cell transplantation. Blood https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2020010028
9. Infection induces tissue-resident memory NK cells that safeguard tissue health. Immunity https://doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2023.01.016
10. IL-6-mediated endothelial injury impairs antiviral humoral immunity after bone marrow transplantation. Journal of Clinical Investigations https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI174184

To read more publications from this researcher, go to https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.