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Associate Professor Mariusz Skwarczynski
Associate Professor

Mariusz Skwarczynski

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 334 69894

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), and then Kyoto Pharmaceutical University (Japan). In 2008 he joined Professor Istvan Toth’s group at The University of Queensland (Australia) to work on new vaccine development strategies. Currently his group activity is mainly focused on nanotechnology-based peptide vaccine delivery approaches and adjuvants discovery. He is Regional Editor of Australia in Vaccines, and Associate Editor in Frontiers in Pharmacology. He has published over 190 peer-reviewed publications, including 18 book chapters and three books.

Availability

Associate Professor Mariusz Skwarczynski is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

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

  • Vaccines and Nanomedicine

    Vaccine Design, Adjuvants, Nanotechnology, Peptide Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Vaccine/Drug Delivery, Antimicrobial Agents, Macromolecules, Immunology

Research impacts

Mariusz Skwarczynski work focuses on nanotechnology-based approaches to vaccine adjuvants, with the potential for significant practical applications in developing novel vaccines. He has co-developed unique peptide, polymer, and liposomes-based adjuvanting systems used in vaccine development against malaria, hookworm, Group A Streptococcus, cancer and fertility vaccines.

As per January 2026:

He has published 3 books, 18 book chapters, and over 170 journal papers (~ 40 first and ~ 40 as last author, h index = 55, citations >9000), with a Field-Weighted Citation Impact of 2.14 (twice higher than the average researcher), and 29.9% of publications in last 5-years are in the top 10% of journals by CiteScore. Ranked 5th (Top 0.027% of 18,422) in the world in Subunit Vaccines (2012-2022; ExpertScape) and listed in World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University in 2024, inside the top 0.35% in medicinal & biomolecular chemistry. His publications have received > 150 patent cites.

In the past 10 years, he secured $33.8M in grant funding, including $3.0M as the principle CI, $10.1M as a CI and $20.7M as the AI. He currently holds five grants as a CI: 2xNHMRC Ideas (CIA, 2024-27, $608K; CIA, 2024-27, $856K), CRE NHMRC (CIF, 2026-31, $3,000K), Synergy NHMRC (CIF, 2026-31, $5,000K), and ARC DP (CIA, 2026-30, $1,073K).

He has been invited 21 times in the last 5 years to present at international seminars and conferences,including invited lectures at National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC) (Bangkok, Thailand), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno (Campania, Italy), University of Opole, (Opole, Poland), and 5th International Symposium on Synthetic Peptide as Human and Veterinary Pharmaceutical Products, (Varadero, Cuba). His work has received over 39 news articles from national and international agencies, including 11 interviews and articles in 2021 from Australia, India, Pakistan, Hungary, Kenya and New Zealand for his work on the oral hookworm vaccine.

He is the Regional Editor of Australia for Vaccines and Associate Editor for Frontiers in Pharmacology. He has organised 9 special issues in the last 5 years for journals such as Vaccines, Molecules and Frontiers in Pharmacology. Furthermore, he organised and chaired “Micro and Nanoparticles in Drug and Vaccine Delivery Symposium”, St Lucia, QLD, 3rd December 2021. He regularly reviews domestic grants, for example, 13 NHMRC Ideas grants in 2024, as well as international, for example, Austrian Science Fund, Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, The Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council (UK). Peer reviews >10/year for top international journals (e.g. Nat. Commun.; Adv. Sci.; Adv. Mater.; Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev; Acta Biomater.).

He was/is co/supervisor of 33 PhD students (graduated and ongoing), and co/supervisor of over 30 research students. In the years 2019-2025, his supervised students received eleven awards, including the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Higher Degree by Research Theses, and awards at international conferences (travel, best poster, best oral presentations).

Works

Search Professor Mariusz Skwarczynski’s works on UQ eSpace

212 works between 1995 and 2026

21 - 40 of 212 works

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

Activity relationship of poly(ethylenimine)-based liposomes as group A Streptococcus vaccine delivery systems

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

Towards the development of subunit vaccines against tuberculosis: The key role of adjuvant

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

Multiepitope subunit peptide-based nanovaccine against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) elicited high antibody titers in vaccinated mice

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

Liposomal formulations of a polyleucine–antigen conjugate as therapeutic vaccines against cervical cancer

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, 305. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11020305

The development of surface-modified liposomes as an intranasal delivery system for group A Streptococcus vaccines

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

Confinement of triple-enzyme-involved antioxidant cascade in two-dimensional nanostructure

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

Polymeric nanoparticles as a self‐adjuvanting peptide vaccine delivery system: the role of shape

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

Polyphenylalanine as a self-adjuvanting delivery system for peptide-based vaccines: the role of peptide conformation

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

Mannose in vaccine delivery

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

The influence of component structural arrangement on peptide vaccine immunogenicity

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

Development of multilayer nanoparticles for the delivery of peptide-based subunit vaccine against group a Streptococcus

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

Perspectives in the vaccine development against Opisthorchis viverrini liver fluke

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

Poly(hydrophobic amino acids) and liposomes for delivery of vaccine against Group A Streptococcus

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

Development of a peptide vaccine against hookworm infection: immunogenicity, efficacy, and immune correlates of protection

2022

Journal Article

The potential of developing a protective peptide‐based vaccines against SARS‐CoV‐2

Shalash, Ahmed O., Toth, Istvan and Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2022). The potential of developing a protective peptide‐based vaccines against SARS‐CoV‐2. Drug Development Research, 83 (6), 1251-1256. doi: 10.1002/ddr.21969

The potential of developing a protective peptide‐based vaccines against SARS‐CoV‐2

2022

Other Outputs

New peptide comprising specified amino acid sequence useful for treating or preventing inflammatory or autoimmune condition including inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease.

Cobos, C., Daly, N., Loukas, A., Bansal, P., Toth, I. and Skwarczynski, M. (2022). New peptide comprising specified amino acid sequence useful for treating or preventing inflammatory or autoimmune condition including inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease. . WO2022120423.

New peptide comprising specified amino acid sequence useful for treating or preventing inflammatory or autoimmune condition including inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease.

2022

Journal Article

New Advances in Short Peptides: Looking Forward

Apostolopoulos, Vasso, Bojarska, Joanna, Chai, Tsun-Thai, Feehan, Jack, Kaczmarek, Krzysztof, Matsoukas, John M., Paredes Lopez, Octavio, Saviano, Michele, Skwarczynski, Mariusz, Smith-Carpenter, Jillian, Venanzi, Mariano, Wolf, Wojciech M., Zielenkiewicz, Piotr and Ziora, Zyta M. (2022). New Advances in Short Peptides: Looking Forward. Molecules, 27 (11) 3635, 3635. doi: 10.3390/molecules27113635

New Advances in Short Peptides: Looking Forward

2022

Journal Article

Peptide-based vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: peptide antigen discovery and screening of adjuvant systems

Shalash, Ahmed O., Azuar, Armira, Madge, Harrison Y. R., Modhiran, Naphak, Amarilla, Alberto A., Liang, Benjamin, Khromykh, Alexander A., Hussein, Waleed M., Chappell, Keith J., Watterson, Daniel, Young, Paul R., Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2022). Peptide-based vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: peptide antigen discovery and screening of adjuvant systems. Pharmaceutics, 14 (4) 856, 856. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14040856

Peptide-based vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: peptide antigen discovery and screening of adjuvant systems

2022

Journal Article

Antimicrobial activity enhancers: towards smart delivery of antimicrobial agents

Skwarczynski, Mariusz, Bashiri, Sahra, Yuan, Ye, Ziora, Zyta M., Nabil, Osama, Masuda, Keita, Khongkow, Mattaka, Rimsueb, Natchanon, Cabral, Horacio, Ruktanonchai, Uracha, Blaskovich, Mark A. T. and Toth, Istvan (2022). Antimicrobial activity enhancers: towards smart delivery of antimicrobial agents. Antibiotics, 11 (3) 412, 412. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11030412

Antimicrobial activity enhancers: towards smart delivery of antimicrobial agents

2022

Journal Article

Investigation of liposomal self-adjuvanting peptide epitopes derived from conserved blood-stage Plasmodium antigens

Islam, Md. Tanjir, Ho, Mei-Fong, Nahar, Ummey J., Shalash, Ahmed O., Koirala, Prashamsa, Hussein, Waleed M., Stanisic, Danielle I., Good, Michael F., Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2022). Investigation of liposomal self-adjuvanting peptide epitopes derived from conserved blood-stage Plasmodium antigens. PLoS One, 17 (3) e0264961, e0264961. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264961

Investigation of liposomal self-adjuvanting peptide epitopes derived from conserved blood-stage Plasmodium antigens

Funding

Current funding

  • 2026 - 2030
    Oral anti-fertility vaccine for population control of invasive rabbits
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2027
    A nanovaccine against Invasive Group A Streptococcus and Rheumatic Heart Disease
    NHMRC IDEAS Grants
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2027
    Paving the way for a Clinical Vaccine Candidate against Hookworm Infection
    NHMRC IDEAS Grants
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2024 - 2025
    Single-shot anti-fertility vaccine in pigs
    Australia's Economic Accelerator Seed Grants
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2024
    Poly(amino acids) as immune stimulators
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2025
    A single-shot anti-fertility vaccine in female cattle
    Meat & Livestock Australia
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2021
    Hookworm peptide therapeutic for oral treatment of IBD (NHMRC Development Grant administered by James Cook University)
    James Cook University
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2014
    A Self-assembling and Self-adjuvanting Nanoparticular Therapeutic Vaccine Against Cervical Cancer
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Associate Professor Mariusz Skwarczynski is:
Available for supervision

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Available projects

  • A nanonaccine against Invasive Group A Streptococcus and Rheumatic Heart Disease

    The major challenge in any vaccine development is its formulation/delivery once the target antigens are identified. The main aim of this project is to adopt and further develop our immune-stimulating delivery systems to produce a multicomponent synthetic (poly)peptide vaccine candidate against Group A Streptococcus (GAS), the major causative agent of deadly diseases such as rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and invasive GAS infection. Notably, a variety of vaccines against GAS infection have reached clinical trials in the past decades; however, these vaccines have limited efficacy due to the high variability of GAS strains. We hypothesise that the incorporation of three conserved peptide antigens from GAS proteins into our newly developed nanoparticles-based vaccine delivery systems will overcome the above obstacles and produce an efficient and universal vaccine candidate against GAS. The project will deliver preclinical vaccine candidates against Group A Streptococcus, which, after oral dosing, will be able to induce robust opsonic antibody production against a wide range of GAS strains without triggering adverse effects and off-target immune responses. We will employ peptide antigens from the highly conserved region of M-protein, cell envelope proteinase, and fibronectin-binding protein 1. The optimized vaccine delivery system will be easily adaptable for the development of vaccines against other diseases.

  • Oral anti-fertility vaccine for rabbits

    Develop the first oral vaccines that suppress fertility in rabbits and enable responsible and ethical landscape population control. Expected outcomes of this project include the creation of a commercially attractive oral immunization platform.

    Who can apply: medicinal/peptide chemists with preferable knowledge in immunology and pharmaceutical formulations.

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

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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For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au