Researcher biography
Dr Joseph Yunis obtained his PhD from the University of Queensland under the mentorship of Associate Professor Philip Stevenson at the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences on understanding the role of CD4+ T cells in herpesvirus immunity. He uncovered the immune evasion mechanisms of CD4+ T cells by cytomegaloviruses. Subsequently, he chose to conduct a postdoctoral research training with Professor Di Yu, first at the John Curtin School of Medical Research of Australian National University (Canberra) and then moved to UQ Diamantina Institute with the lab. Primarily using various mouse models, he is investigating the role of CD8+ T cells in elimination infection and driving immunopathology, such as promoting acute respiratory distress syndrome. His research has been recognised by a number of awards including, the UQDI publication of the month award, Bootes Foundation Research Grant, Eureka Research Fund for Immunology and Virology and the UQ postdoctoral retention scheme.
Journal Articles
Yao, Yin, Chen, Zhian, Zhang, Hao, Chen, Cailing, Zeng, Ming, Yunis, Joseph, Wei, Yunbo, Wan, Yanmin, Wang, Naiqi, Zhou, Mingzhe, Qiu, Chao, Zeng, Qunxiong, Ong, Hong Sheng, Wang, Hao, Makota, Fadzai Victor, Yang, Yang, Yang, Zhaohui, Wang, Nan, Deng, Jun, Shen, Chao, Xia, Yan, Yuan, Lin, Lian, Zhaoqin, Deng, Yike, Guo, Cuilian, Huang, Ao, Zhou, Pengcheng, Shi, Haibo, Zhang, Weitian ... Yu, Di (2024). Author Correction: Selenium–GPX4 axis protects follicular helper T cells from ferroptosis. Nature Immunology, 25 (9), 1764-1764. doi: 10.1038/s41590-024-01949-z
Sadeghirad, Habib, Monkman, James, Tan, Chin Wee, Liu, Ning, Yunis, Joseph, Donovan, Meg L., Moradi, Afshin, Jhaveri, Niyati, Perry, Chris, Adams, Mark N., O’Byrne, Ken, Warkiani, Majid E., Ladwa, Rahul, Hughes, Brett G.M. and Kulasinghe, Arutha (2024). Spatial dynamics of tertiary lymphoid aggregates in head and neck cancer: insights into immunotherapy response. Journal of Translational Medicine, 22 (1) 677, 677. doi: 10.1186/s12967-024-05409-y
Monkman, James, Moradi, Afshin, Yunis, Joseph, Ivison, Geoff, Mayer, Aaron, Ladwa, Rahul, O’Byrne, Ken and Kulasinghe, Arutha (2024). Spatial insights into immunotherapy response in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by multiplexed tissue imaging. Journal of Translational Medicine, 22 (1) 239, 239. doi: 10.1186/s12967-024-05035-8
Kulasinghe, A., Monkman, J., Moradi, A., Yunis, J., Ivison, G., Mayer, A. and O'Byrne, K. (2023). MA09.03 High-dimensional profiling of the tumour microenvironment of non-small cell lung cancer. Journal of Thoracic Oncology, 18 (11), S129-s129. doi: 10.1016/j.jtho.2023.09.173
Yunis, Joseph, Short, Kirsty R. and Yu, Di (2023). Severe respiratory viral infections: T-cell functions diverging from immunity to inflammation. Trends in Microbiology, 31 (6), 644-656. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2022.12.008
Chen, Zhian, Cui, Yanfang, Yao, Yin, Liu, Bo, Yunis, Joseph, Gao, Xin, Wang, Naiqi, Cañete, Pablo F., Tuong, Zewen Kelvin, Sun, Hongjian, Wang, Hao, Yang, Siling, Wang, Runli, Leong, Yew Ann, Simon Davis, David, Qin, Jiahuan, Liang, Kaili, Deng, Jun, Wang, Conan K., Huang, Yen-Hua, Roco, Jonathan A., Nettelfield, Sam, Zhu, Huaming, Xu, Huajun, Yu, Zhijia, Craik, David, Liu, Zheng, Qi, Hai, Parish, Christopher and Yu, Di (2023). Heparan sulfate regulates IL-21 bioavailability and signal strength that control germinal center B cell selection and differentiation. Science immunology, 8 (80) eadd1728, 1-17. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.add1728
Zhou, Pengcheng, Chen, Jiali, He, Jing, Zheng, Ting, Yunis, Joseph, Makota, Victor, Alexandre, Yannick O., Gong, Fang, Zhang, Xia, Xie, Wuxiang, Li, Yuhui, Shao, Miao, Zhu, Yanshan, Sinclair, Jane E., Miao, Miao, Chen, Yaping, Short, Kirsty R., Mueller, Scott N., Sun, Xiaolin, Yu, Di and Li, Zhanguo (2021). Low-dose IL-2 therapy invigorates CD8+ T cells for viral control in systemic lupus erythematosus with a potential risk of deteriorating immunopathology. PLoS Pathogens, 17 (10) e1009858, e1009858. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009858
Yao, Yin, Chen, Zhian, Zhang, Hao, Chen, Cailing, Zeng, Ming, Yunis, Joseph, Wei, Yunbo, Wan, Yanmin, Wang, Naiqi, Zhou, Mingzhe, Qiu, Chao, Zeng, Qunxiong, Ong, Hong Sheng, Wang, Hao, Makota, Fadzai Victor, Yang, Yang, Yang, Zhaohui, Wang, Nan, Deng, Jun, Shen, Chao, Xia, Yan, Yuan, Lin, Lian, Zhaoqin, Deng, Yike, Guo, Cuilian, Huang, Ao, Zhou, Pengcheng, Shi, Haibo, Zhang, Weitian ... Yu, Di (2021). Author Correction: Selenium–GPX4 axis protects follicular helper T cells from ferroptosis. Nature Immunology, 22 (12), 1599-1599. doi: 10.1038/s41590-021-01063-4
Yao, Yin, Chen, Zhian, Zhang, Hao, Chen, Cailing, Zeng, Ming, Yunis, Joseph, Wei, Yunbo, Wan, Yanmin, Wang, Naiqi, Zhou, Mingzhe, Qiu, Chao, Zeng, Qunxiong, Ong, Hong Sheng, Wang, Hao, Makota, Fadzai Victor, Yang, Yang, Yang, Zhaohui, Wang, Nan, Deng, Jun, Shen, Chao, Xia, Yan, Yuan, Lin, Lian, Zhaoqin, Deng, Yike, Guo, Cuilian, Huang, Ao, Zhou, Pengcheng, Shi, Haibo, Zhang, Weitian ... Yu, Di (2021). Selenium–GPX4 axis protects follicular helper T cells from ferroptosis. Nature Immunology, 22 (9), 1127-1139. doi: 10.1038/s41590-021-00996-0
Xie, Min, Yunis, Joseph, Yao, Yin, Shi, Jing, Yang, Yang, Zhou, Pengcheng, Liang, Kaili, Wan, Yanmin, Mehdi, Ahmed, Chen, Zhian, Wang, Naiqi, Xu, Shuyun, Zhou, Min, Yu, Muqing, Wang, Ke, Tao, Yu, Zhou, Ying, Li, Xiaochen, Liu, Xiansheng, Yu, Xiao, Wei, Yunbo, Liu, Zheng, Sprent, Jonathan and Yu, Di (2021). High levels of soluble CD25 in COVID‐19 severity suggest a divergence between anti‐viral and pro‐inflammatory T‐cell responses. Clinical & Translational Immunology, 10 (2) e1251, e1251. doi: 10.1002/cti2.1251
Yao, Yin, Wang, Nan, Chen, Cai-Ling, Pan, Li, Wang, Zhi-Chao, Yunis, Joseph, Chen, Zhi-An, Zhang, Yu, Hu, Si-Tao, Xu, Xiao-Yan, Zhu, Rong-Fei, Yu, Di and Liu, Zheng (2020). CD23 expression on switched memory B cells bridges T-B cell interaction in allergic rhinitis. Allergy, 75 (10), 1-14. doi: 10.1111/all.14288
Yunis, Joseph, Redwood, Alec J., Belz, Gabrielle T. and Stevenson, Philip G. (2020). Membrane association of a model CD4 + T‐cell vaccine antigen confers enhanced yet incomplete protection against murid herpesvirus‐4 infection. Immunology and Cell Biology, 98 (4) imcb.12319, 332-343. doi: 10.1111/imcb.12319
Yunis, Joseph, Farrell, Helen E., Bruce, Kimberley, Lawler, Clara, Wyer, Orry, Davis-Poynter, Nicholas, Brizić, Ilija, Jonjić, Stipan, Adler, Barbara and Stevenson, Philip G. (2018). Murine Cytomegalovirus glycoprotein O promotes epithelial cell infection in vivo. Journal of Virology, 93 (3) e01378-18. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01378-18
Yunis, Joseph, Farrell, Helen E., Bruce, Kimberley, Lawler, Clara, Sidenius, Stine, Wyer, Orry, Davis-Poynter, Nicholas and Stevenson, Philip G. (2018). Murine cytomegalovirus degrades MHC class II to colonize the salivary glands. PLoS Pathogens, 14 (2) e1006905, 1-17. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006905
Farrell, Helen, Oliveira, Martha, Macdonald, Kate, Yunis, Joseph, Mach, Michae, Bruce, Kimberley, Stevenson, Philip, Cardin, Rhonda and Davis-Poynter, Nicholas (2016). Luciferase-tagged wild-type and tropism-deficient mouse cytomegaloviruses reveal early dynamics of host colonization following peripheral challenge. Journal of General Virology, 97 (12) 000642, 3379-3391. doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.000642
Davis-Poynter, Nick, Yunis, Joseph and Farrell, Helen E. (2016). The cytoplasmic C-tail of the mouse cytomegalovirus 7 transmembrane receptor homologue, M78, regulates endocytosis of the receptor and modulates virus replication in different cell types. PLoS ONE, 11 (10) e0165066, 353-393. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165066
Conference Papers
Kulasinghe, A., Monkman, J., Moradi, A., Yunis, J., Ivison, G., Mayer, A. and O'Byrne, K. (2023). High-dimensional profiling of the tumour microenvironment of non-small cell lung cancer. 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer, Singapore, Singapore, 9 - 12 September 2023. New York, NY, United States: Elsevier.
Stevenson, P. G. and Yunis, J. (2016). A murine cytomegalovirus vaccine vector protects against murine gamma herpesvirus 68. International Congress of Immunology (ICI), Melbourne Australia, Aug 21-26, 2016. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley.
Thesis
Yunis, Joseph (2018). Anti-herpesvirus CD4+ T cell function. PhD Thesis, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2018.832