Amy Gillgrass

Education/Work

BSc/MSc/PhD- McMaster University
2017-2019: Scientist- Turnstone Biologics
2019-2024: Assistant Professor- McMaster University

Research interests

The Gillgrass lab’s primary research focus is on virology, immunology and infectious disease. Globally, 39.9 million people are living with HIV. Currently, there is effective treatment, but no cure or vaccine for HIV. The major cause of death in people living with HIV is from co-infections with tuberculosis. Tuberculosis leads to 1.25 million deaths a year. The combination of the two pathogens can be lethal since each negatively affects the disease progression of the other. Our current focus is using next-generation humanized mouse models to explore immune mediated HIV cure and the pathogenesis of HIV/TB co-infection to devise treatment, prophylaxis and improve disease outcomes. Additional projects include using humanized mice in drug development, cancer and vaccine studies.

Selected publications

Mian MF, Pa S, Rahman N, Gillgrass A*, Kaushic C*. NET-EN treatment leads to delayed HSV-2 infection, enhanced mucin and T cell functions in the female genital tract when compared to DMPA in a preclinical mouse model. Front Immunol. 2024 Nov 6;15:1427842. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1427842. eCollection 2024.

Choi MW, Isidoro CA, Gillgrass A. Mechanisms of mucosal immunity at the female reproductive tract involved in defense against HIV infection. Curr Opin Virol. 2024 Jun;66:101398. doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2024.101398. Epub 2024 Mar 13. PMID: 38484474

Portillo AL, Monteiro JK, Rojas EA, Ritchie TM, Gillgrass A, Ashkar AA. Charting a killer course to the solid tumor: strategies to recruit and activate NK cells in the tumor microenvironment. Front Immunol. 2023 Nov 8;14:1286750. doi: 0.3389/fimmu.2023.1286750. eCollection 2023. PMID: 38022679

Afkhami S, D'Agostino MR, Vaseghi-Shanjani M, Lepard M, Yang JX, Lai R, Choi MWY, Chacon A, Zganiacz A, Franken KLMC, Ertl HC, Ottenhoff THM, Jeyanathan M, Gillgrass A*, Xing Z*. Intranasal multivalent adenoviral-vectored vaccine protects against replicating and dormant M.tb in conventional and humanized mice. NPJ Vaccines. 2023 Feb 23;8(1):25. doi: 10.1038/s41541-023-00623-z. PMID: 36823425

Lepard M, Yang JX, Afkhami S, Nazli A, Zganiacz A, Tang S, Choi MWY, Vahedi F, Deshiere A, Tremblay MJ, Xing Z, Kaushic C, Gillgrass A. Comparing Current and Next-Generation Humanized Mouse Models for Advancing HIV and HIV/Mtb Co-Infection Studies. Viruses. 2022 Aug 30;14(9):1927. doi: 10.3390/v14091927. PMID: 36146734

Afkhami S, D'Agostino MR, Zhang A, Stacey HD, Marzok A, Kang A, Singh R, Bavananthasivam J, Ye G, Luo X, Wang F, Ang JC, Zganiacz A, Sankar U, Kazhdan N, Koenig JFE, Phelps A, Gameiro SF, Tang S, Jordana M, Wan Y, Mossman KL, Jeyanathan M, Gillgrass A, Medina MFC, Smaill F, Lichty BD, Miller MS, Xing Z. Respiratory mucosal delivery of next-generation COVID-19 vaccine provides robust protection against both ancestral and variant strains of SARS-CoV-2. Cell. 2022 Mar 3;185(5):896-915.e19. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.02.005. Epub 2022 Feb 9. PMID: 35180381

Gillgrass A, Wessels JM, Yang JX, Kaushic C. Advances in Humanized Mouse Models to Improve Understanding of HIV-1 Pathogenesis and Immune Responses. Front Immunol. 2021 Mar 5;11:617516. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.617516. eCollection 2020. PMID: 33746940
Singh R, Kang A, Luo X, Jeyanathan M, Gillgrass A, Afkhami S, Xing Z. COVID-19: Current knowledge in clinical features, immunological responses, and vaccine development.FASEB J. 2021 Mar;35(3):e21409. doi: 10.1096/fj.202002662R.PMID: 33577115

Afkhami S, Villela AD, D'Agostino MR, Jeyanathan M, Gillgrass A, Xing Z. Advancing Immunotherapeutic Vaccine Strategies Against Pulmonary Tuberculosis. Front Immunol. 2020 Sep 9;11:557809. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.557809. eCollection 2020.PMID: 33013927

*co-corresponding author

Selected awards and honours

• 2023/6 - 2026/7 E.J. Moran Campbell Internal Career Research Award for ECRs, McMaster University
• 2015/9 - 2018/8 Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Fellowship- Post-Doctoral
• 2014 McMaster University Faculty of Health Sciences Outstanding Thesis Award
• 2011/9 - 2013/8 Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Fellowship- Doctoral Level
• 2010 Special Commendation on Comprehensive Exam Grant and Oral Defense
• 2009/9 - 2011/8 CIHR- Frederick Banting and Charles Best Graduate Scholarship- Doctoral Award CIHR
• 2008, 2009 The Lee Nielson Roth Award for Cancer Research, McMaster University
• 2008 D.C. Russell Memorial Scholarship, McMaster University