Overview
Background
Mariusz Skwarczynski completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1999 at Wroclaw University of Technology (Poland). His postdoctoral training began at Tokushima Bunri University (Japan) under the direction of late Professor M. Nishizawa, where he studied the biomimetic total synthesis of anticancer agent paclitaxel. He then joined the laboratory of Professor Yoshiaki Kiso at Kyoto Pharmaceutical University (Japan) to study prodrugs of paclitaxel. In 2004 he was awarded with Japanese fellowship (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science postdoctoral fellowship) and research grant to conduct further research on paclitaxel. He developed novel classes of paclitaxel prodrugs: isotaxoids and phototaxels. He also co-developed an epimerization-free method for the synthesis of novel building blocks (isodipeptides) for solid phase peptide synthesis and these units have been commercialized by Merck-Novabiochem.
In 2008 he joined Professor Istvan Toth group at University of Queensland (Australia) to work on vaccine delivery strategies. Since then, he research is mainly focused on nanotechnology-based peptide vaccine delivery approaches. In 2010 he was awarded with University of Queensland Strategic Fund Research Fellowship. In Australia, he is involved in a wide range of collaborative research projects, both nationally and internationally, to develop vaccines against GAS, HIV, hookworm infections, malaria and cancer, along with antibiotics against multidrug resistant bacteria.
Availability
- Associate Professor Mariusz Skwarczynski is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Masters (Coursework) of Science, Wroclaw University of Technology
- Doctor of Philosophy, Wroclaw University of Technology
- Member, Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre
- Journal Editorial Board Member, Current Drug Delivery, Current Drug Delivery
- Journal Editorial Board Member, Frontiers in Pharmacology (Associate Editor), Frontiers in Pharmacology (Associate Editor)
- Journal Editorial Board Member, Medicinal Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry
- Member, Royal Australian Chemical Institute, Royal Australian Chemical Institute
- Member, The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Alumni Association in Australia, The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Alumni Association in Australia
- Journal Editorial Board Member, Vaccines (Regional Editor of Australia), Vaccines (Regional Editor of Australia)
Research interests
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Vaccines and Nanomedicine
Vaccine Desing, Nanotechnology, Peptide Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Vaccine/Drug Delivery, Antimicrobial Agents, Macromolecules, Adjuvants, Immunology
Research impacts
Mariusz Skwarczynski has over 180 publications, including peer-reviewed journals, book chapters (Wiley, Springer Nature, Nova Science, Elsevier), and two edited book (Elsevier, Springer Nature) – as of 2023. Among these publications, 16 are in journals with an impact factor of 10-30. He was ranked 3rd in the world in the Subunit Vaccines field (2012-2022) by Expertscape's PubMed-based scheme and placed among the top 0.1% (0.022% of 18,308 published authors) of scholars writing about Subunit Vaccines over the past 10 years: https://expertscape.com/ex/vaccines%2C+subunit. He is an inventor on three patents that attracted interest from the industry including Meat & Livestock Australia Ltd, Vet-Agro Sp. z o.o., Paragen Bio, and Brandon Capital. He co-developed an epimerization-free method for the synthesis of novel building blocks (isodipeptides) for solid-phase peptide synthesis; these units have been commercialised by Merck-Novabiochem. Recently, he has been actively engaged in several projects aimed at the commercialisation of veterinary vaccines (mostly targeting domestic and wild animals’ fertility control) in Australia and Italy.
He is very active in a collaborative initiative between universities, on projects to develop vaccines against Group A Streptococcus, tuberculosis, hookworm, malaria, porcine circovirus, babesia and cancer, as well as other drug delivery systems. He is an Associate Editor in Frontiers in Pharmacology, (2016 – current) and Regional Editor of Australia in Vaccines (2018 – current). In addition to grants from the ARC and NHMRC, he is also the recipient of industry-specific grants (Economic Accelerator Launch Programme 2023 and Meat & Livestock Australia Limited grant 2021). He regularly communicates with the public (locally and internationally) on issues related to vaccine development and safety. His recent publication on the oral hookworm vaccine has attracted wide media interest from all over the world (Australia, India, China, Kenya, New Zealand, Hungary, Pakistan, etc.). He is often invited to present at international conferences, and recently he organised and chaired Micro and Nanoparticles in Drug and Vaccine Delivery Symposium, Brisbane, 2021.
He has served as a primary supervisor of four PhD students (two ongoings, two theses awarded) and co-supervisor of 23 PhD students in the medicinal chemistry, biotechnology, and vaccine development fields. All his former students have successfully found jobs, many of which are in the fields of biology or chemistry, across industry and academia, in Australia and abroad. Some notable examples of current employers of his past students include Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, National University of Malaysia, The Translational Research Institute, Griffith University, Miltenyi Biotec Australia, James Cook University, Procter & Gamble, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, WuXi Biologics, and Endologix California.
Works
Search Professor Mariusz Skwarczynski’s works on UQ eSpace
2024
Journal Article
Self-assembled monovalent lipidated mannose ligand as a standalone nanoadjuvant
Nahar, Ummey J., Wang, Jingwen, Shalash, Ahmed O., Lu, Lantian, Islam, Md. T., Alharbi, Nedaa, Koirala, Prashamsa, Khalil, Zeinab G., Capon, Robert J., Hussein, Waleed M., Toth, Istvan and Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2024). Self-assembled monovalent lipidated mannose ligand as a standalone nanoadjuvant. Vaccine, 42 (23) 126060, 126060. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.06.027
2024
Journal Article
Cholesterol as an inbuilt immunoadjuvant for a lipopeptide vaccine against group A Streptococcus infection
Alharbi, Nedaa, Shalash, Ahmed O., Koirala, Prashamsa, Boer, Jennifer C., Hussein, Waleed M., Khalil, Zeinab G., Capon, Robert J., Plebanski, Magdalena, Toth, Istvan and Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2024). Cholesterol as an inbuilt immunoadjuvant for a lipopeptide vaccine against group A Streptococcus infection. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 663, 43-52. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.02.134
2024
Journal Article
COVID-19 variants and vaccine development
Zhao, Ziyao, Bashiri, Sahra, Ziora, Zyta M., Toth, Istvan and Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2024). COVID-19 variants and vaccine development. Viruses, 16 (5) 757, 757. doi: 10.3390/v16050757
2024
Journal Article
Utilizing murine dendritic cell line DC2.4 to evaluate the immunogenicity of subunit vaccines in vitro
Lu, Lantian, Kong, Wei Yang, Zhang, Jiahui, Firdaus, Farrhana, Wells, James W., Stephenson, Rachel J., Toth, Istvan, Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Cruz, Jazmina L. Gonzalez (2024). Utilizing murine dendritic cell line DC2.4 to evaluate the immunogenicity of subunit vaccines in vitro. Frontiers in Immunology, 15 ARTN 1298721, 1-13. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1298721
2024
Journal Article
Polymeric nanoparticles as oral and intranasal peptide vaccine delivery systems: the role of shape and conjugation
Koirala, Prashamsa, Shalash, Ahmed O., Chen, Sung-Po R., Faruck, Mohammad O., Wang, Jingwen, Hussein, Waleed M., Khalil, Zeinab G., Capon, Robert J., Monteiro, Michael J., Toth, Istvan and Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2024). Polymeric nanoparticles as oral and intranasal peptide vaccine delivery systems: the role of shape and conjugation. Vaccines, 12 (2) 198, 1-14. doi: 10.3390/vaccines12020198
2024
Book Chapter
An analytical protocol for detecting antibody titer levels in serum/saliva by indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
Wang, Jingwen, Bashiri, Sahra, Toth, Istvan and Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2024). An analytical protocol for detecting antibody titer levels in serum/saliva by indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Peptide antibodies: methods and protocols. (pp. 205-216) edited by Gunnar Houen. New York, NY, United States: Humana Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3914-6_16
2023
Journal Article
Activity relationship of poly(ethylenimine)-based liposomes as group A Streptococcus vaccine delivery systems
Jin, Shengbin, Zhang, Jiahui, Nahar, Ummey J., Huang, Wenbin, Alharbi, Nedaa A., Shalash, Ahmed O., Koirala, Prashamsa, Yang, Jieru, Kiong, Jolynn J. E., Khalil, Zeinab G., Capon, Robert J., Stephenson, Rachel J., Skwarczynski, Mariusz, Toth, Istvan and Hussein, Waleed M. (2023). Activity relationship of poly(ethylenimine)-based liposomes as group A Streptococcus vaccine delivery systems. ACS Infectious Diseases, 9 (8), 1570-1581. doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00159
2023
Journal Article
Towards the development of subunit vaccines against tuberculosis: The key role of adjuvant
Duong, Viet Tram, Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2023). Towards the development of subunit vaccines against tuberculosis: The key role of adjuvant. Tuberculosis, 139 102307, 1-15. doi: 10.1016/j.tube.2023.102307
2023
Journal Article
Multiepitope subunit peptide-based nanovaccine against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) elicited high antibody titers in vaccinated mice
Duong, Viet Tram, Koirala, Prashamsa, Chen, Sung-Po R., Monteiro, Michael J., Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2023). Multiepitope subunit peptide-based nanovaccine against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) elicited high antibody titers in vaccinated mice. Molecules, 28 (5) 2248, 1-15. doi: 10.3390/molecules28052248
2023
Journal Article
Liposomal formulations of a polyleucine–antigen conjugate as therapeutic vaccines against cervical cancer
Firdaus, Farrhana Z., Bartlett, Stacey, Hussein, Waleed M., Lu, Lantian, Wright, Quentin, Huang, Wenbin, Nahar, Ummey J., Yang, Jieru, Khongkow, Mattaka, Veitch, Margaret, Koirala, Prashamsa, Ruktanonchai, Uracha R., Monteiro, Michael J., Gonzalez Cruz, Jazmina L., Stephenson, Rachel J., Wells, James W., Toth, Istvan and Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2023). Liposomal formulations of a polyleucine–antigen conjugate as therapeutic vaccines against cervical cancer. Pharmaceutics, 15 (2) 602, 1-15. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15020602
2023
Journal Article
The development of surface-modified liposomes as an intranasal delivery system for group A Streptococcus vaccines
Yang, Jieru, Boer, Jennifer C., Khongkow, Mattaka, Phunpee, Sarunya, Khalil, Zeinab G., Bashiri, Sahra, Deceneux, Cyril, Goodchild, Georgia, Hussein, Waleed M., Capon, Robert J., Ruktanonchai, Uracha, Plebanski, Magdalena, Toth, Istvan and Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2023). The development of surface-modified liposomes as an intranasal delivery system for group A Streptococcus vaccines. Vaccines, 11 (2) 305. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11020305
2023
Journal Article
Confinement of triple-enzyme-involved antioxidant cascade in two-dimensional nanostructure
Szerlauth, Adel, Varga, Árpád, Madácsy, Tamara, Sebők, Dániel, Bashiri, Sahra, Skwarczynski, Mariusz, Toth, Istvan, Maléth, József and Szilagyi, Istvan (2023). Confinement of triple-enzyme-involved antioxidant cascade in two-dimensional nanostructure. ACS Materials Letters, 5 (2), 565-573. doi: 10.1021/acsmaterialslett.2c00580
2023
Journal Article
Polymeric nanoparticles as a self‐adjuvanting peptide vaccine delivery system: the role of shape
Koirala, Prashamsa, Chen, Sung‐Po R., Boer, Jennifer C., Khalil, Zeinab G., Deceneux, Cyril, Goodchild, Georgia, Lu, Lantian, Faruck, Mohammad Omer, Shalash, Ahmed O., Bashiri, Sahra, Capon, Robert J., Hussein, Waleed M., Monteiro, Michael J., Plebanski, Magdalena, Toth, Istvan and Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2023). Polymeric nanoparticles as a self‐adjuvanting peptide vaccine delivery system: the role of shape. Advanced Functional Materials, 33 (12) 2209304, 2209304. doi: 10.1002/adfm.202209304
2023
Journal Article
Polyphenylalanine as a self-adjuvanting delivery system for peptide-based vaccines: the role of peptide conformation
Skwarczynski, Mariusz, Zhao, Guangzu, Ozberk, Victoria, Giddam, Ashwini Kumar, Khalil, Zeinab G., Pandey, Manisha, Hussein, Waleed M., Nevagi, Reshma J., Batzloff, Michael R., Capon, Robert J., Good, Michael F. and Toth, Istvan (2023). Polyphenylalanine as a self-adjuvanting delivery system for peptide-based vaccines: the role of peptide conformation. Australian Journal of Chemistry, 76 (8), 429-436. doi: 10.1071/ch22167
2022
Journal Article
The influence of component structural arrangement on peptide vaccine immunogenicity
Alharbi, Nedaa, Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2022). The influence of component structural arrangement on peptide vaccine immunogenicity. Biotechnology Advances, 60 108029, 1-24. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.108029
2022
Journal Article
Mannose in vaccine delivery
Nahar, Ummey Jannatun, Toth, Istvan and Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2022). Mannose in vaccine delivery. Journal of Controlled Release, 351, 284-300. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.09.038
2022
Journal Article
Development of multilayer nanoparticles for the delivery of peptide-based subunit vaccine against group a Streptococcus
Kiong, Jolynn, Nahar, Ummey Jannatun, Jin, Shengbin, Shalash, Ahmed O., Zhang, Jiahui, Koirala, Prashamsa, Khalil, Zeinab G., Capon, Robert J., Skwarczynski, Mariusz, Toth, Istvan and Hussein, Waleed M. (2022). Development of multilayer nanoparticles for the delivery of peptide-based subunit vaccine against group a Streptococcus. Pharmaceutics, 14 (10) 2151, 1-12. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14102151
2022
Journal Article
Perspectives in the vaccine development against Opisthorchis viverrini liver fluke
Shalash, Ahmed O., Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2022). Perspectives in the vaccine development against Opisthorchis viverrini liver fluke. MedComm – Biomaterials and Applications, 1 (2) e21, 1-8. doi: 10.1002/mba2.21
2022
Journal Article
Poly(hydrophobic amino acids) and liposomes for delivery of vaccine against Group A Streptococcus
Azuar, Armira, Madge, Harrison Y. R., Boer, Jennifer C., Gonzalez Cruz, Jazmina L., Wang, Jingwen, Khalil, Zeinab G., Deceneux, Cyril, Goodchild, Georgia, Yang, Jieru, Koirala, Prashamsa, Hussein, Waleed M., Capon, Robert J., Plebanski, Magdalena, Toth, Istvan and Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2022). Poly(hydrophobic amino acids) and liposomes for delivery of vaccine against Group A Streptococcus. Vaccines, 10 (8) 1212, 1-14. doi: 10.3390/vaccines10081212
2022
Journal Article
Development of a peptide vaccine against hookworm infection: immunogenicity, efficacy, and immune correlates of protection
Shalash, Ahmed O., Becker, Luke, Yang, Jieru, Giacomin, Paul, Pearson, Mark, Hussein, Waleed M., Loukas, Alex, Toth, Istvan and Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2022). Development of a peptide vaccine against hookworm infection: immunogenicity, efficacy, and immune correlates of protection. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 150 (1), 157-169.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2022.02.020
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Mariusz Skwarczynski is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Poly(hydrophobic amino acids) as immune stimulators.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
Doctor Philosophy
Polymers and peptides for vaccine delivery.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
Doctor Philosophy
Polymers and peptides for vaccine delivery.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
Doctor Philosophy
Delivery systems for novel vaccine candidates against infectious diseases
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth, Dr Jazmina Gonzalez Cruz
-
Doctor Philosophy
Development of poly(hydrophobic amino acids)-based immunopotentiators for subunit vaccines against infectious diseases
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jazmina Gonzalez Cruz, Professor Istvan Toth
-
Doctor Philosophy
Novel Vaccine Designs of Adjuvants and Delivery Systems against Infectious Diseases
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth, Dr Rachel Stephenson
Completed supervision
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Development of a new peptide-based self-adjuvanting delivery system for vaccine against Group A Streptococcus (GAS)
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Delivery of a peptide-based vaccine against group A streptococcus with the help of cell-penetrating peptides
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Polymers as a nanoparticulate adjuvant and vaccine delivery system
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Lipophilic Peptides as Immune Stimulants
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
The role of shape in vaccine delivery: Polymeric nanoparticles-based peptide vaccine against Group A Streptococci (GAS) infection
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Cholesterol-based Vaccine Delivery Systems against Group A Streptococcal Infection
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Development of Peptide-based Vaccines against Infectious Diseases: Hookworm, Liver fluke, and SARS-CoV-2 virus
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Waleed Hussein, Professor Istvan Toth
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Targeting lectin receptors for vaccine delivery against group A streptococcus
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Development of polyacrylate-based delivery systems for peptide vaccines
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Development of an effective prophylactic and therapeutic treatment for malaria
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Design and evaluation of polysaccharide-based nanoparticles for mucosal vaccine delivery
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Waleed Hussein, Professor Istvan Toth
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Hydrophobic amino acid-based vaccine delivery systems to induce cellular and humoral immunity
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
Development of novel nanoparticulate polymeric delivery system for peptide vaccines against group A streptococcus
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
2018
Doctor Philosophy
Peptide-Based Self-Assembling Delivery System for Development of Group A Streptococcus Vaccine
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
2018
Doctor Philosophy
Epitope-focused vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Keith Chappell, Professor Daniel Watterson, Professor Istvan Toth, Professor Paul Young
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
Development of novel nanoparticle-based mucosal delivery systems for lipopeptide vaccine against group A streptococcus
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
Development of Peptide-Based Vaccines Against Group A Streptococcus (GAS) and Malaria
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Therapeutic and Preventive Potential of Synthetic Lipopeptides against Bacterial Infections
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Development of Novel Strategies for Delivery of Vaccine Candidates Against Group A Streptococcus
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth, Dr Waleed Hussein
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
Liposome-based delivery system for the development of malaria vaccine
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
The Development of Peptide-Based Subunit Vaccines against Streptococcus pyogenes, Necator americanus and Schistosome mansoni.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Self-assembling and self-adjuvanting polymer-peptide conjugates as therapeutic vaccines against cervical cancer
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
-
2010
Doctor Philosophy
Lipopeptide-Carbohydrate-Antigen Platforms for Synthetic Vaccine Development
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
The synthesis and characterization of peptide-based carriers for gene delivery and peptide therapeutics
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Istvan Toth
Media
Enquiries
Contact Associate Professor Mariusz Skwarczynski directly for media enquiries about:
- fertility control
- group A streptococcus
- hookworm
- immune adjuvants
- nanovaccines
- peptide vaccines
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