Mala K. Maini
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View article: Tracking B cell immunity during perturbation of hepatitis B infection induced by treatment withdrawal
Tracking B cell immunity during perturbation of hepatitis B infection induced by treatment withdrawal Open
Background Withdrawal of prolonged nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) treatment results in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss in some subjects with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), potentially revealing immune correlates of functional cure. Objec…
View article: Pre-existing and early cellular immune factors correlate with functionally complete protection against primary controlled human SARS-CoV-2 infection
Pre-existing and early cellular immune factors correlate with functionally complete protection against primary controlled human SARS-CoV-2 infection Open
Identifying host factors that mediate protection against newly-emergent viruses is needed for improved pandemic preparedness. Here, we analysed pre- and early post-exposure immune factors associated with resisting SARS-CoV-2 infection afte…
View article: Stem-like CD8+ T cells preserve HBV-specific responses in HBV/HIV co-infection
Stem-like CD8+ T cells preserve HBV-specific responses in HBV/HIV co-infection Open
Background Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection disproportionately affects people living with HIV, who are often excluded from functional cure studies. Objective This study investigates CD8 + T cell profiles in HBV mono-infection vers…
View article: Topical Spermidine Hyaluronate (Spd-HA) in Vulvovaginal Atrophy: A Preliminary Study
Topical Spermidine Hyaluronate (Spd-HA) in Vulvovaginal Atrophy: A Preliminary Study Open
Background and Objectives: Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), previously termed vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA), is a prevalent hypoestrogenic condition characterized by genital, sexual, and urinary symptoms. Although hormonal therapies…
View article: Splenic granulopoiesis and S100A9 drive resistance to checkpoint inhibitors conferred by liver metastases
Splenic granulopoiesis and S100A9 drive resistance to checkpoint inhibitors conferred by liver metastases Open
Here, we investigate why liver metastases reduce the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPI). The poor prognosis of patients with liver metastases is associated with a systemic increase in neutrophils. Using experimental models, we …
View article: Expanded adaptive NKG2C+ NK cells exhibit potent ADCC and functional responses against HBV-infected hepatoma cell lines
Expanded adaptive NKG2C+ NK cells exhibit potent ADCC and functional responses against HBV-infected hepatoma cell lines Open
Our study demonstrates the first successful expansion of adaptive NK cells with robust functional responses from donors with chronic viral infection. This approach creates opportunities for NK cell-based therapies alone or in combination w…
View article: Corrigendum to “Auto-antibodies against interferons are common in people living with chronic hepatitis B virus infection and associate with PegIFNα non-response” [J Hepatol (2025) 101382]
Corrigendum to “Auto-antibodies against interferons are common in people living with chronic hepatitis B virus infection and associate with PegIFNα non-response” [J Hepatol (2025) 101382] Open
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.jhepr.2025.101382.].
View article: Expanded adaptive NKG2C+ NK cells exhibit potent ADCC and functional responses against HBV-infected hepatoma cell lines
Expanded adaptive NKG2C+ NK cells exhibit potent ADCC and functional responses against HBV-infected hepatoma cell lines Open
Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a significant global health challenge, leading to chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in the clearance of HBV-infec…
View article: Stem-like CD8+ T cells preserve HBV-specific responses in HBV/HIV co-infection
Stem-like CD8+ T cells preserve HBV-specific responses in HBV/HIV co-infection Open
Objective Chronic HBV infection disproportionately affects people living with HIV, who are often excluded from functional cure studies. This study investigates CD8 + T cell profiles in HBV mono-infection versus HBV/HIV co-infection, examin…
View article: Auto-antibodies against interferons are common in people living with chronic hepatitis B virus infection and associate with PegIFNα non-response
Auto-antibodies against interferons are common in people living with chronic hepatitis B virus infection and associate with PegIFNα non-response Open
HBV and PegIFNα individually may induce broad autoreactivity associated with dysregulated antiviral immune responses. Auto-Ab screening prior to PegIFNα treatment or other immunotherapies may play a critical role in predicting treatment re…
View article: HBV shows different levels of adaptation to HLA class I-associated selection pressure correlating with markers of replication
HBV shows different levels of adaptation to HLA class I-associated selection pressure correlating with markers of replication Open
The immune response mediated by CD8 T cells plays a critical role in controlling HBV infection and shows promise for therapeutic strategies aimed at achieving a functional cure. This study demonstrates that mutational escape within CD8 T-c…
View article: Footprints of innate immune activity during HIV-1 reservoir cell evolution in early-treated infection
Footprints of innate immune activity during HIV-1 reservoir cell evolution in early-treated infection Open
Antiretroviral treatment (ART) initiation during the early stages of HIV-1 infection is associated with a higher probability of maintaining drug-free viral control during subsequent treatment interruptions, for reasons that remain unclear.…
View article: A liver immune rheostat regulates CD8 T cell immunity in chronic HBV infection
A liver immune rheostat regulates CD8 T cell immunity in chronic HBV infection Open
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection affects 300 million patients worldwide 1,2 , in whom virus-specific CD8 T cells by still ill-defined mechanisms lose their function and cannot eliminate HBV-infected hepatocytes 3–7 . Here we demon…
View article: Immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma
Immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma Open
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major global healthcare challenge, with >1 million patients predicted to be affected annually by 2025. In contrast to other cancers, both incidence and mortality rates continue to rise, and HCC is now th…
View article: Tissue T cells in prophylactic and therapeutic vaccination responses
Tissue T cells in prophylactic and therapeutic vaccination responses Open
In this conference report, I highlight the potential to target tissue-resident T cells to enhance prophylactic and therapeutic vaccine immunity. I describe our recent findings on exploiting frontline sentinal immunosurveillance by liver-re…
View article: T cell control of SARS-CoV-2: When, which, and where?
T cell control of SARS-CoV-2: When, which, and where? Open
Efficient immune protection against viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 requires the coordinated activity of innate immunity, B and T cells. Accumulating data point to a critical role for T cells not only in the clearance of established infection, …
View article: Chronic Hepatitis B Finite Treatment: Similar and Different Concerns With New Drug Classes
Chronic Hepatitis B Finite Treatment: Similar and Different Concerns With New Drug Classes Open
Chronic hepatitis B, a major cause of liver disease and cancer, affects >250 million people worldwide. Currently there is no cure, only suppressive therapies. Efforts to develop finite curative hepatitis B virus (HBV) therapies are unde…
View article: Human resident liver myeloid cells protect against metabolic stress in obesity
Human resident liver myeloid cells protect against metabolic stress in obesity Open
Although multiple populations of macrophages have been described in the human liver, their function and turnover in patients with obesity at high risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cirrhosis are currently unkn…
View article: An ACAT inhibitor suppresses SARS-CoV-2 replication and boosts antiviral T cell activity
An ACAT inhibitor suppresses SARS-CoV-2 replication and boosts antiviral T cell activity Open
The severity of disease following infection with SARS-CoV-2 is determined by viral replication kinetics and host immunity, with early T cell responses and/or suppression of viraemia driving a favourable outcome. Recent studies uncovered a …
View article: Can T Cells Abort SARS-CoV-2 and Other Viral Infections?
Can T Cells Abort SARS-CoV-2 and Other Viral Infections? Open
Despite the highly infectious nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, it is clear that some individuals with potential exposure, or even experimental challenge with the virus, resist developing a detectable infection. While a proportion of seroneg…
View article: Long-term respiratory mucosal immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 after infection and vaccination
Long-term respiratory mucosal immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 after infection and vaccination Open
Respiratory mucosal immunity induced by vaccination is vital for protection from coronavirus infection in animal models. In humans, SARS-CoV-2 immunity has been studied extensively in blood. However, the capacity of peripheral vaccination …
View article: Long-term respiratory mucosal immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 after infection and vaccination
Long-term respiratory mucosal immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 after infection and vaccination Open
Respiratory mucosal immunity induced by vaccination is vital for protection from coronavirus infection in animal models. In humans, SARS-CoV-2 immunity has been studied extensively in blood. However, the capacity of peripheral vaccination …
View article: Tissue CD14+CD8+ T cells reprogrammed by myeloid cells and modulated by LPS
Tissue CD14+CD8+ T cells reprogrammed by myeloid cells and modulated by LPS Open
The liver is bathed in bacterial products, including lipopolysaccharide transported from the intestinal portal vasculature, but maintains a state of tolerance that is exploited by persistent pathogens and tumours1-4. The cellular basis med…