Associate Professor Mariusz Skwarczynski
Associate Professor

Mariusz Skwarczynski

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 334 69894

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

Medicinal and biomolecular chemistry Organic chemistry

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 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.

Search Professor Mariusz Skwarczynski’s works on UQ eSpace

204 works between 1995 and 2025
All (204) Journal Article (171) Book Chapter (19) Conference Publication (9) Book (2) Other Outputs (3)

61 - 80 of 204 works

2020

Journal Article

Progress in the development of subunit vaccines against malaria

Skwarczynski, Mariusz, Chandrudu, Saranya, Rigau-Planella, Berta, Islam, Md. Tanjir, Cheong, Yee S., Liu, Genan, Wang, Xiumin, Toth, Istvan and Hussein, Waleed M. (2020). Progress in the development of subunit vaccines against malaria. Vaccines, 8 (3) 373, 1-19. doi: 10.3390/vaccines8030373

Progress in the development of subunit vaccines against malaria

2020

Journal Article

Development of polyelectrolyte complexes for the delivery of peptide-based subunit vaccines against group A streptococcus

Zhao, Lili, Jin, Wanli, Cruz, Jazmina Gonzalez, Marasini, Nirmal, Khalil, Zeinab G., Capon, Robert J., Hussein, Waleed M., Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2020). Development of polyelectrolyte complexes for the delivery of peptide-based subunit vaccines against group A streptococcus. Nanomaterials, 10 (5) 823, 823. doi: 10.3390/nano10050823

Development of polyelectrolyte complexes for the delivery of peptide-based subunit vaccines against group A streptococcus

2020

Journal Article

Lipopeptide-based oral vaccine against hookworm infection

Bartlett, Stacey, Eichenberger, Ramon M., Nevagi, Reshma J., Ghaffar, Khairunnisa Abdul, Marasini, Nirmal, Dai, Yang, Loukas, Alex, Toth, Istvan and Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2020). Lipopeptide-based oral vaccine against hookworm infection. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 221 (6), 934-942. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiz528

Lipopeptide-based oral vaccine against hookworm infection

2020

Journal Article

Non-invasive mucosal vaccine delivery: advantages, challenges and the future

Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2020). Non-invasive mucosal vaccine delivery: advantages, challenges and the future. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, 17 (4), 1-3. doi: 10.1080/17425247.2020.1731468

Non-invasive mucosal vaccine delivery: advantages, challenges and the future

2020

Journal Article

Development of natural and unnatural amino acid delivery systems against hookworm infection

Bartlett, Stacey, Skwarczynski, Mariusz, Xie, Xin, Toth, Istvan, Loukas, Alex and Eichenberger, Ramon M. (2020). Development of natural and unnatural amino acid delivery systems against hookworm infection. Precision Nanomedicine, 3 (1), 471-482. doi: 10.33218/prnano3(1).191210.1

Development of natural and unnatural amino acid delivery systems against hookworm infection

2020

Journal Article

Poly(amino acids) as a potent self-adjuvanting delivery system for peptide-based nanovaccines

Skwarczynski, Mariusz, Zhao, Guangzu, Boer, Jennifer C., Ozberk, Victoria, Azuar, Armira, Gonzalez Cruz, Jazmina, Kumar Giddam, Ashwini, Khalil, Zeinab G., Pandey, Manisha, Shibu, Mohini A., Hussein, Waleed M., Nevagi, Reshma J., Batzloff, Michael R., Wells, James W., Capon, Robert J., Plebanski, Magdalena, Good, Michael F. and Toth, Istvan (2020). Poly(amino acids) as a potent self-adjuvanting delivery system for peptide-based nanovaccines. Science Advances, 6 (5) eaax2285, eaax2285. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aax2285

Poly(amino acids) as a potent self-adjuvanting delivery system for peptide-based nanovaccines

2020

Journal Article

Polyacrylate–peptide antigen conjugate as a single-dose oral vaccine against Group A Streptococcus

Faruck, Mohammad Omer, Zhao, Lili, Hussein, Waleed M., Khalil, Zeinab G., Capon, Robert J., Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2020). Polyacrylate–peptide antigen conjugate as a single-dose oral vaccine against Group A Streptococcus. Vaccines, 8 (1) 23, 1-10. doi: 10.3390/vaccines8010023

Polyacrylate–peptide antigen conjugate as a single-dose oral vaccine against Group A Streptococcus

2020

Journal Article

Lipids as activators of innate immunity in peptide vaccine delivery

Bartlett, Stacey, Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2020). Lipids as activators of innate immunity in peptide vaccine delivery. Current Medicinal Chemistry, 25 (17), 2887-2901. doi: 10.2174/0929867325666181026100849

Lipids as activators of innate immunity in peptide vaccine delivery

2020

Journal Article

Application of Fmoc-SPPS, thiol-maleimide conjugation, and copper(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition "click" reaction in the synthesis of a complex peptide-based vaccine candidate against Group A Streptococcus

Dai, Chuankai, Stephenson, Rachel J., Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2020). Application of Fmoc-SPPS, thiol-maleimide conjugation, and copper(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition "click" reaction in the synthesis of a complex peptide-based vaccine candidate against Group A Streptococcus. Methods in Molecular Biology, 2103, 13-27. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0227-0_2

Application of Fmoc-SPPS, thiol-maleimide conjugation, and copper(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition "click" reaction in the synthesis of a complex peptide-based vaccine candidate against Group A Streptococcus

2020

Book Chapter

Preface

Hussein, Waleed M., Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2020). Preface. Peptide synthesis: methods and protocols. (pp. v-v) edited by Waleed M. Hussein, Mariusz Skwarczynski and Istvan Toth. New York, NY, United States: Springer.

Preface

2020

Book Chapter

An isodipeptide building block for microwave-assisted solid-phase synthesis of difficult sequence-containing peptides

Hussein, Waleed M., Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2020). An isodipeptide building block for microwave-assisted solid-phase synthesis of difficult sequence-containing peptides. Peptide synthesis: methods and protocols. (pp. 139-150) edited by Waleed M. Hussein, Mariusz Skwarczynski and Istvan Toth. New York, NY, United States: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0227-0_9

An isodipeptide building block for microwave-assisted solid-phase synthesis of difficult sequence-containing peptides

2019

Book

Peptide synthesis: methods and protocols

Waleed Hussein, Mariusz Skwarczynski and Istvan Toth eds. (2019). Peptide synthesis: methods and protocols. New York, NY USA: Humana New York. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0227-0

Peptide synthesis: methods and protocols

2019

Journal Article

Mannosylated liposomes formulated with whole parasite P. falciparum blood-stage antigens are highly immunogenic in mice

Ssemaganda, Aloysious, Giddam, Ashwini Kumar, Low, Leanne M., Liu, Xue Q., Ho, Mei-Fong, Zaman, Mehfuz, Hussein, Waleed M., Skwarczynski, Mariusz, Toth, Istvan, Stanisic, Danielle I. and Good, Michael F. (2019). Mannosylated liposomes formulated with whole parasite P. falciparum blood-stage antigens are highly immunogenic in mice. Vaccine, 38 (6), 1494-1504. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.11.063

Mannosylated liposomes formulated with whole parasite P. falciparum blood-stage antigens are highly immunogenic in mice

2019

Journal Article

Polyelectrolyte-based platforms for the delivery of peptides and proteins

Zhao, Lili, Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2019). Polyelectrolyte-based platforms for the delivery of peptides and proteins. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, 5 (10) acsbiomaterials.9b01135, 4937-4950. doi: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.9b01135

Polyelectrolyte-based platforms for the delivery of peptides and proteins

2019

Journal Article

Meet our editorial board member

Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2019). Meet our editorial board member. Medicinal Chemistry, 15 (6), 571-571. doi: 10.2174/157340641506190619105911

Meet our editorial board member

2019

Journal Article

Cell-penetrating peptides in vaccine delivery: facts, challenges and perspectives

Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2019). Cell-penetrating peptides in vaccine delivery: facts, challenges and perspectives. Therapeutic Delivery, 10 (8), 465-467. doi: 10.4155/tde-2019-0042

Cell-penetrating peptides in vaccine delivery: facts, challenges and perspectives

2019

Journal Article

Cholic acid-based delivery system for vaccine candidates against Group A Streptococcus

Azuar, Armira, Zhao, Lili, Hei, Tsui Ting, Nevagi, Reshma J., Bartlett, Stacey, Hussein, Waleed M., Khalil, Zeinab G., Capon, Robert J., Toth, Istvan and Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2019). Cholic acid-based delivery system for vaccine candidates against Group A Streptococcus. ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 10 (9) acsmedchemlett.9b00239, 1253-1259. doi: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.9b00239

Cholic acid-based delivery system for vaccine candidates against Group A Streptococcus

2019

Journal Article

Self-assembly of trimethyl chitosan and poly(anionic amino acid)-peptide antigen conjugate to produce a potent self-adjuvanting nanovaccine delivery system

Nevagi, Reshma J., Dai, Wei, Khalil, Zeinab G., Hussein, Waleed M., Capon, Robert J., Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2019). Self-assembly of trimethyl chitosan and poly(anionic amino acid)-peptide antigen conjugate to produce a potent self-adjuvanting nanovaccine delivery system. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, 27 (14), 3082-3088. doi: 10.1016/j.bmc.2019.05.033

Self-assembly of trimethyl chitosan and poly(anionic amino acid)-peptide antigen conjugate to produce a potent self-adjuvanting nanovaccine delivery system

2019

Journal Article

Recent advances in the development of peptide vaccines and their delivery systems against Group A Streptococcus

Azuar, Armira, Jin, Wanli , Mukaida, Saori, Hussein, Waleed , Toth, Istvan and Skwarczynski, Mariusz (2019). Recent advances in the development of peptide vaccines and their delivery systems against Group A Streptococcus. Vaccines, 7 (3) 58, 58. doi: 10.3390/vaccines7030058

Recent advances in the development of peptide vaccines and their delivery systems against Group A Streptococcus

2019

Journal Article

Structure-activity relationship of group A streptococcus lipopeptide vaccine candidates in trimethyl chitosan-based self-adjuvanting delivery system

Nevagi, Reshma J., Dai, Wei, Khalil, Zeinab G., Hussein, Waleed M., Capon, Robert J., Skwarczynski, Mariusz and Toth, Istvan (2019). Structure-activity relationship of group A streptococcus lipopeptide vaccine candidates in trimethyl chitosan-based self-adjuvanting delivery system. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 179, 100-108. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.06.047

Structure-activity relationship of group A streptococcus lipopeptide vaccine candidates in trimethyl chitosan-based self-adjuvanting delivery system

Current funding

  • 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
  • 2024 - 2025
    Single-shot anti-fertility vaccine in pigs
    Australia's Economic Accelerator Seed Grants
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 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

Availability

Associate Professor Mariusz Skwarczynski is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Poly(hydrophobic amino acids) as immune stimulators.

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Istvan Toth

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Poly(hydrophobic amino acids) as immune stimulators.

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Istvan Toth

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Hookworm vaccine: vaccine development toward clinical trials

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Istvan Toth

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Polymers and peptides for vaccine delivery.

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Poly(hydrophobic amino acids) as immune stimulators.

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Istvan Toth

  • Doctor Philosophy

    L-Rhamnose-based nanovaccine derived from poly-rhamnose backbone of Group A Carbohydrate (GAC) against Invasive Group A Streptococcus and Rheumatic Heart Disease

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Istvan Toth

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Polymers and peptides for vaccine delivery.

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Istvan Toth

  • Doctor Philosophy

    A nanovaccine against Invasive Group A Streptococcus and Rheumatic Heart Disease

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Rachel Stephenson, Emeritus Professor Istvan Toth

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Delivery systems for novel vaccine candidates against infectious diseases

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: 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

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Development of poly(hydrophobic amino acids)-based immunopotentiators for subunit vaccines against infectious diseases

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jazmina Gonzalez Cruz

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Novel Vaccine Designs of Adjuvants and Delivery Systems against Infectious Diseases

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Istvan Toth, Dr Rachel Stephenson

Completed supervision

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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