Ian Hermans
Senior Lecturer
School of Biological Sciences
Group Leader, Malaghan Institute of Medical Research
Phone: 04 903 3043
Email: ihermans@malaghan.org.nz
Street Address: Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Central Services Building,
Entrance 7, Kelburn Pde, Kelburn Campus
Nearest Fax: 04 499 6915
Research Interests
The overall goal of my research is to design more effective vaccines against diseases such as cancer. It is known that white blood cells called T cells can kill tumour cells. Vaccines that induce the activity of T cells therefore hold considerable promise as new therapeutic agents.
We are looking at the specific immune cell populations involved in eliciting effective immune responses to vaccination, including the dendritic cells responsible for stimulating T cells, and other less well-known cells such as Natural Killer T (NKT) cells that contribute to the induced response. Working together with chemists, we are aiming to define compounds that can be incorporated into vaccines to ensure optimum, coordinated activity of all of the immune cells involved.
We are also exploring how other therapies for cancer, such as chemotherapy, radiation and hyperthermia, affect the immune system, with a view to combining these therapies with vaccination.
We work closely with New Zealand leaders in the fields of immunology, medicinal chemistry and clinical oncology to test our vaccines in cancer patients.
Visit my Vaccine Research Group web page
Selected Publications
Petersen TR, Sika-Paotonu D, Knight DA, Simkins HM and Hermans F. (2011) Exploiting the role of endogenous lymphoid-resident dendritic cells in the priming of NKT cells and CD8+ T cells to dendritic cell-based vaccines. PLoS ONE 6(3):e17657
Broadley KWR, Hunn MK, Farrand KJ, Price KM, Hermans IF and McConnell MJ. (2011) Side population does not contribute to self-renewal or tumour initiation in glioblastoma multiforme. Stem Cells 29:452-61
Petersen TR, Sika-Paotonu D, Knight DA, Dickgreber N, Farrand KJ, Ronchese F and Hermans IF. (2010) Potent anti-tumor responses to immunization with dendritic cells loaded with tumor tissue and an NKT cell ligand. Immunology and Cell Biology 88:596-604
Farrand KJ, Dickgreber N, Stoitzner P, Ronchese F, Petersen TR and Hermans IF. (2009) Langerin+ CD8α+ dendritic cells are critical for cross-priming and IL-12 production in response to systemic antigens. The Journal of Immunology 183:7732-42
Dickgreber N, Stoitzner P, Bai Y, Price KM, Farrand KJ, Manning K, Angel CE, Dunbar PR, Ronchese F, Fraser JD, Backstrom BT and Hermans IF. (2009) Targeting antigen to MHC class II molecules promotes cross-presentation and enhances immunotherapy. The Journal of Immunology 182:1260-9