Griffith University researchers are focused on understanding how viruses, particularly mosquito-borne and respiratory viruses, cause human disease. Their mission is to create real-world solutions that protect vulnerable communities from the threat of viral infections.
Professor Suresh Mahalingam’s research team at Griffith University’s Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics and Health Group has played a pivotal role in uncovering viral mechanisms and translating these discoveries into therapies and vaccines. Using advanced molecular techniques like codon deoptimisation and infectious reverse genetics, the team have successfully created vaccines that are progressing through pre-clinical and clinical trials for the Chikungunya, Zika, and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) viruses.
The Chikungunya vaccine, co-developed with Dr Adam Taylor, was licensed to Australian biotech company Gamma Vaccines Ltd in December 2023 and is currently progressing to clinical trials.
The Zika vaccine has been licensed to Indian Immunologicals Ltd. In 2024 the Government of India fully funded the vaccine’s transition through Phase 1 to 3 clinical trials, with a Phase 1 trial set to commence in early 2025, managed by the Indian Council of Medical Research at various clinical sites.
Alongside Dr Xiang Liu, Professor Mahalingam has also licensed a next-generation intranasal COVID-19 vaccine to Indian Immunologicals Ltd., which is designed to induce mucosal immunity and protect against transmission and virus variants.
The COVID-19 vaccine is poised to progress to human trials, potentially serving as a global booster vaccine. The team’s partnership with Indian Immunologicals Ltd. provides a clear path to market as the company is globally established – it manufactures and supplies vaccines to over 60 countries.
Professor Mahalingam and his colleagues also focus on drug repurposing – the testing of existing drugs already approved for other conditions so as to bypass the costly and time-consuming process of developing new drugs from scratch. One project, led by Associate Professor Lara Herrero, allowed for the re-purposing of pentosan polysulfate (PPS) for the treatment of Ross River virus (RRV)-induced arthritis. Now branded as Zilosul®, PPS was made available through the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration Special Access Scheme for chronic RRV cases by technology licensee Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.
The research team’s work has also extended to the use of Anakinra for preventing bone loss, revealed the risks of using anti-TNF drugs like Etanercept in viral arthritis, and identified dengue viroporin inhibitors that have been licensed to Biotron Ltd.
We want to see these vaccines and treatments reach the market as soon as possible so as to prevent outbreaks and treat these debilitating diseases, particularly in vulnerable communities across the world. So, we are working diligently with companies to meet regulatory requirements and proceed with human trials as soon as we can.
Professor Suresh Mahalingam, Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics and Griffith Health, Griffith University
Image: microscope image of Chikungunya virus in cells.
Professor Mahalingam has pioneered the study of viral-induced musculoskeletal diseases, particularly those caused by mosquito-borne arthritogenic alphaviruses. This family includes the Ross River, Chikungunya, Barmah Forest, Mayaro, and O’nyong-nyong viruses.
While not typically associated with high death rates, viruses like Ross River and Chikungunya can cause persistent, debilitating severe joint pain that can significantly affect patient health, quality of life, and ability to work, placing substantial strain on local economies and healthcare systems during outbreaks.
Over the past 15 years, the research team have revealed the complex interplay between viral and host factors that drive joint damage, making significant contributions that extend beyond their field into rheumatology and osteoimmunology, and uncovering links to autoimmune arthritis. The insights provided into how the immune response, particularly host factors, modulate disease progression has accelerated the discovery of drugs and vaccines, which has only become more important as these viruses become more widespread.
For example, due to international travel and the spread of disease-carrying mosquitos, Chikungunya infections have now been identified in over 125 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
This rise in outbreaks prompted the creation of the European Union (EU)-led Integration of Chikungunya Research (ICRES) consortium involving researchers from the EU, Asia, and Australia, including Professor Mahalingam’s research team. The consortium has collectively contributed to significantly advancing fundamental understanding on the virus and providing tools and systems for future studies, diagnostics, treatments and vaccines. A key component of the consortium’s work was the development of an infectious clone of Chikungunya, that facilitated the creation of the two novel live-attenuated vaccines.
In answer to a World Health Organisation declaration of a global state of emergency due to a Zika outbreak in 2016-17, Professor Mahalingam’s team moved to produce a vaccine to prevent further harm and extend their work to other types of viruses.
No vaccine is currently available for the prevention of Zika infection, and few researchers are working in this space, but efforts have increased since a link with congenital defects in newborns was confirmed and an increase in recorded outbreaks was seen across Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. More research is needed to confirm the risk of congenital malformations; however, an estimated 5–15% of infants born to women infected with Zika virus during pregnancy have Zika-related complications.
With the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, Professor Mahalingam’s team also launched a cutting-edge program against the respiratory syndrome SARS-CoV-2, generating tools for worldwide distribution. These tools, including infectious clones, marker viruses, cell lines, and various assay systems, were made available to the global community, benefiting over 320 labs. One of these tools, the infectious clone, was utilised by Professor Mahalingam and Dr Xiang Liu to develop a next-generation mucosal SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.
Preclinical research published by the team in Nature Communications reports that the vaccine induces strong memory responses in the nasal mucosa offering long-term protection for up to a year or more. The vaccine also acts as a booster for individuals already immunised with other vaccines and provides cross-protection against all coronavirus variants of concern.
Importantly, the vaccine remains stable at 4°C for seven months, making it ideal for low- and middle-income countries, and its administration as a needle free, single dose nasal delivery is expected to increase accessibility and the number of people receiving the vaccine.
Together, this body of work underscores Professor Mahalingam’s commitment to transforming scientific discoveries into practical solutions that protect global populations from viral threats. A number of exciting discoveries are also on the horizon, with his team actively developing a novel mRNA vaccine platform and a new vaccine for Hepatitis B, further expanding the scope of their efforts to combat emerging infectious diseases.
Professor Mahalingam and his team are open to collaborations with industry and academic groups.
To learn more about Professor Mahalingam’s research and his contact details please go to:
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