Marios Koutsakos
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marioskoutsakos.viralvaxlab.com
Marios Koutsakos
@marioskoutsakos.viralvaxlab.com
Influenza virologist in ViralVaxLab at TheDohertyInst

https://www.viralvaxlab.com/

Influenza immunity, evolution & vaccines.
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
Molecular basis of influenza ribonucleoprotein complex assembly and processive RNA synthesis @science.org @yiweichang.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
May 15, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
Happy to be able to contribute to this very cool preprint
Characterization of the glycoproteins of novel fish influenza B-like viruses #glycotime #lovevirology @uu-cbdd.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Characterization of the glycoproteins of novel fish influenza B-like viruses
Novel influenza-like virus sequences previously identified in fish and amphibians were found to cluster as a sister clade of influenza B viruses, but have thus far remained uncharacterized. We demonst...
www.biorxiv.org
May 9, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
In unexposed adults, frequency of memory B cells with cross-reactive recognition of H5 + H7 low, & lower in unexposed vs humans w seasonal H1N1/H3N2 HA-specific B cells. Boosting B cell responses against HPAI following seasonal immunisation = sporadic.
👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
May 5, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
Happy to finally share this work!
April 29, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
Check out the latest from @viralvaxlab.bsky.social postdoc Wen Shi Lee, developing monoclonal antibodies that neutralise the NL63 coronavirus!
April 25, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
Happy to report that Mitchell's paper on CD4 T cells and AIM assays is now available online at Science Advances!

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Thanks to all our collaborators in @viralvaxlab.bsky.social and @thedohertyinst.bsky.social, including @assocprofashhaque.bsky.social lab
April 27, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
New preprint alert 🚨

My team and I are pleased to share our most recent story about how bacterial pathogen (Streptococcus pyogenes, Strep A) exposure induces antibody responses against glycan and protein antigens.

For paper: SSRN ssrn.com/abstract=519...
biorxiv : doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
April 4, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
Today @natmedicine.bsky.social published our study showing the older individuals born prior to 1968 have more antibodies that cross-react to #H5N1 relative to younger individuals. If H5N1 causes a pandemic, children will likely be the most susceptible. 1/2

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Immune history shapes human antibody responses to H5N1 influenza viruses - Nature Medicine
H5N1 strain-specific antibodies are higher in older individuals and correlate more with birth year than with age, suggesting that younger individuals are potentially more likely to benefit from H5N1 v...
www.nature.com
March 13, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
The Virology Unit at IPC has 3 positions open in #OneHealth:

*Postdoc – Reconstructing Past Outbreaks

*Postdoc – Environmental Surveillance

*Clinical Manager

These aren’t just jobs. They’re front-row seats to global health in action. Ready?

tinyurl.com/57rvxcau

#ViroSky #IDSky 🦠🔬🧬🥼🧪
Institut Pasteur du Cambodge on LinkedIn: The Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (IPC) is looking for: -…
The Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (IPC) is looking for: - 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 – 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧-𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥…
tinyurl.com
February 25, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
1/ Hot off the press in @jimmunol.bsky.social. We investigated how same side (ipsilateral) vs alternate side (contralateral) prime-boost vaccination impacts germinal center (GC) dynamics & antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 spike in mice.💉🦠#immunology #vaccines @thedohertyinst.bsky.social
March 11, 2025 at 5:59 AM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
New research from @thedohertyinst.bsky.social suggests that receiving multiple doses of a vaccine in the same limb leads to faster antibody development, an important strategy for providing #immunity quickly during a pandemic or disease #outbreak. #ReadTheJI #immunology

ow.ly/c28N50VeRGR
Modulation of germinal center and antibody dynamics via ipsilateral versus contralateral immunization against SARS-CoV-2
Abstract. Human clinical trials have reported immunological outcomes can differ between ipsilateral (same side) and contralateral (alternate sides) prime-b
ow.ly
March 10, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
Antigenic map of H5 influenza viruses spanning their evolutionary history. 3 clusters (surprisingly few!) w no cross immunity. 6 key aa identified. 2344b, 2321a, 2344h in different clusters. Big jump in antigenicity from 234 to 2344b important finding.
👉 www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6...
March 2, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
Negative-Strand RNA Virus meeting #NSV2025 registration is now open!
Visit www.negativestrandvirus.org/home
February 17, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
Really proud to share our preprint describing early adaptation of H5N1 to US dairy cattle, and showing how these mutations enhance the ability of the virus to infect other mammals, such as pigs and humans.

With @influenzal.bsky.social @vidhid.bsky.social @drclairesmith.bsky.social and many more!
Polymerase mutations underlie adaptation of H5N1 influenza virus to dairy cattle and other mammals.
In early 2024, an unprecedented outbreak of H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza was detected in dairy cattle in the USA. The epidemic remains uncontrolled, with spillbacks into poultry, wild birds...
www.biorxiv.org
January 7, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
8/9 In short, we suggest in vitro stimulation activates ag-specific T cells, which secrete cytokines and activate Treg and Th17/22 cells. Without careful phenotyping, all of these cells can get picked up as AIM+, accounting for the Th17-like memory cells found in many virus-specific AIM datasets.
December 20, 2024 at 3:39 AM
Tracking tetramer-binding cells during re-stimulation showed that CXCR4-CD137+ cells provide a more accurate measure of the Ag-specific population than standard AIM readouts
@jenjuno.viralvaxlab.com
doi.org/10.1101/2024...
December 16, 2024 at 3:31 AM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
Thanks @ausvirologysoc.bsky.social for a great meeting. Where else can you turn the evolution of flu A vs flu B strains as described by @marioskoutsakos.bsky.social into a dance move. Having Jenna Guthmiller here from the US was a highlight for me! See you all in Adelaide in 2026
December 6, 2024 at 1:14 AM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
I have a few brief thoughts on this just released Science paper on the adaptation potential of bovine #H5N1 HA. Its very good work by very good group at Scripps! Think people need to be cautious in assessing the actualized risk out of this one study. #influenza

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A single mutation in bovine influenza H5N1 hemagglutinin switches specificity to human receptors
In 2024, several human infections with highly pathogenic clade 2.3.4.4b bovine influenza H5N1 viruses in the United States raised concerns about their capability for bovine-to-human or even human-to-h...
www.science.org
December 5, 2024 at 7:59 PM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
Next up is Marios Koutsakos @marioskoutsakos.bsky.social who is presenting Antigenic evolution of the influenza B virus HA over 80 years of circulation in humans. Marios has apologised for only including one phylogenetic tree in his talk in this evolutionary virology session. #AVS12
December 4, 2024 at 10:11 PM
Reposted by Marios Koutsakos
I've made a starter pack for Aussie virologists joining Bluesky at #AVS12. Let me know if you would like to be added- please share 🤗

@ausvirologysoc.bsky.social

go.bsky.app/FgBEzfc
December 4, 2024 at 3:42 AM