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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · 8d

Itch is a complex response involving host neuroimmune and maybe also vector derived factors, which we didn’t assess per se. We did find some inflammatory responses to bites (eg neutrophil signature) were suppressed by vaccination. Suggesting it skewed bite responses to being anti-viral.

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · 8d

Thanks to first author Liam Barningham and our brilliant collaborators at Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, @NIH and Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, UniOfMaryland who did the trial👏
Special shout-out to our colleagues at ConservBio who developed AGSv-PLUS. 6/6

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · 8d

Together, these results show that vaccination reshapes the skin’s bite response.
This could increase resistance to infection, pointing to a novel, vector-based vaccine strategy.
5/6

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · 8d

What we saw 👇
✔️ Bites triggered strong leukocyte recruitment signatures + Th1/CD8⁺ responses (esp. albopictus)
✔️ Adjuvanted AGS-v PLUS boosted antiviral/ISG pathways but dampened neutrophil-driven inflammatory signatures
✔️ NK/DC signatures elevated in some groups
4/6

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · 8d

In a Phase I trial cohort, we sampled skin 48h after controlled Ae. aegypti & Ae. albopictus bites.
We compared placebo vs AGS-v PLUS (±adjuvant) to ask: does vaccination alter the early immune response at the bite site? 3/6

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · 8d

One genus of 🦟 transmits most viruses that cause dengue, Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever.
Most vaccines target the virus and are pathogen-specific.
We asked whether targeting mosquito saliva could reprogram skin immunity at the bite, a universal strategy with pan-viral potential

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · 8d

We all know vaccines target the pathogen, but can you also target the vector?
📢 in a new paper out today in Vaccines,
we show that a vaccine targeting mosquito salivary peptides, AGSv-PLUS, enhances human skin immune response to biting.
Open access: www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/13...
1/6

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · 9d

Why? Is a flapjack something different where you are?

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · 15d

Farewell, Zahra! Celebrating the end of a successful PhD journey with some well-deserved fun.

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · 20d

Super happy to announce Zahra Alfaheeda has passed her PhD viva. 🥳 She worked hard to combine diverse resources from cancer biology, virology and vector biology for a really unique project. Looking forward to sharing her story soon. Thanks to @maringerlab.bsky.social and Gina Doody for examining.

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Reposted by Clive McKimmie

Arbovirus seminars @arbovirus.bsky.social · 27d

See you Thursday 18th for our first seminar of the series with the inspiring @priyashah.bsky.social from @ucdavis.bsky.social with her talk
“Harder, better, faster, stronger: integrating virology and engineering to drive discovery”.
All welcome! email us for the zoom link.

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · Aug 31

Psyched to be co-chairing this great line up of diverse speakers who represent the best in arbovirus research. See you there! Send us your email for a Zoom login. Please help with a re-post :-)

Arbovirus seminars @arbovirus.bsky.social · Aug 31

We’re back with another season of monthly seminars bringing together diverse and leading investigators worldwide to share cutting-edge arbovirus science.
🧬 Topics span molecular virology, virus–vector interactions, epidemiology, pathogenesis, and more.
📅 3rd Thursday each month
🕚 11 AM US ET Zoom

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · Aug 28

Not just wild fires that follow hot weather, clusters of locally acquired mosquito-borne virus infection in south France, an update on numbers.

Outbreak News Today @outbreaknews.bsky.social · Aug 27

France: Chikungunya, dengue and West Nile virus update
open.substack.com/pub/outbreak...

France: Chikungunya, dengue and West Nile virus update

As of August 26, 2025, 228 indigenous chikungunya cases have been reported on Mainland France.

open.substack.com

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · Aug 27

Was sad to say farewell to @yoncakeskekturk.bsky.social today. She transformed our understanding of the sandfly-skin interface during virus infection for her PhD, and just finished testing a new Zikv vaccine. She returns home to 🤞start her career as lecturer/PI. Take care Yonca! You will be missed.

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · Aug 6

We knew this deeply misguided man was bad news, but now his actions threaten us all. RNA-based vaccines are safe, effective at preventing disease, and can be rapidly manufactured at scale. Just as the threat of infectious disease increases, we remove our best defence. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

RFK Jr cancels $500m in mRNA vaccine development in the US

Since taking office, the vaccine sceptic has made a number of changes to how vaccines are regulated.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by Clive McKimmie

Prof Sheena Cruickshank @sheencr.bsky.social · Aug 4

I thought it might be helpful to do a more general immunology explainer which I can then build on for example when I discuss specific papers or political actions. Do let me know if its useful and other topics if so. This first one is a general one about how we tackle infections... 🧪 #ImmunoSky

Fundamental immunology 101: the basics of an immune response

Tackling infections

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Clive McKimmie

Hugo Perdomo @hugodperdomo.bsky.social · Jul 29

How can mosquitoes tolerate viral infections?

In our latest preprint we show that mosquitoes that can regulate their metabolism after infection can tolerate viral infections better.

Thanks to all the authors for all your ideas and contributions

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Metabolic homeostasis favors tolerance to persistent viral infection in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

The mosquito Aedes aegypti harbors a wide range of persistent viral infections, including both medically important arboviruses and insect-specific viruses (ISVs). However, the mechanisms underpinning ...

www.biorxiv.org

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Reposted by Clive McKimmie

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control @ecdc.europa.eu · Jul 21

🧵 Dengue is no longer just a tropical disease - it's showing up in Europe.

This season, France, Italy, and Portugal (Madeira) have already reported locally acquired dengue cases.

Check the latest #CDTR on #dengue here: bit.ly/3TQpDVu

#IdSky #EpiSky #MosquitoBorne #Prevention #PublicHealth

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Reposted by Clive McKimmie

The Global Vector Hub @globalvectorhub.bsky.social · Jul 23

🦟"World Health Organization @who.int raises concern about spread of #mosquito-borne #chikungunya #virus" via @reuters.com #arbovirus #GLAI

www.reuters.com/business/hea...

World Health Organization raises concern about spread of mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus

The World Health Organization issued an urgent call for action on Tuesday to prevent a repeat of an epidemic of the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus that swept the globe two decades ago, as new outbreaks linked to the Indian Ocean region spread to Europe and other continents.

www.reuters.com

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · Jul 7

Fascinating work!

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Reposted by Clive McKimmie

brackneylab @brackneylab.bsky.social · Jul 1

Despite all the shit going on, we have to celebrate our victories. New publication with @entomososwin.bsky.social and @vectorimmunity.bsky.social showing that hemocytes play a central role in disseminating flaviviruses to secondary tissues potentially functioning as a Trojan Horse(TBD)
rdcu.be/euj4g

Mosquito immune cells enhance dengue and Zika virus infection in Aedes aegypti

Nature Communications - Infection of mosquito immune cells by dengue and Zika virus enhances the spread of virus infection to mosquito tissues, such as the salivary glands, to promote virus...

rdcu.be

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · Jun 24

These images are just stunning, generated using the largest mirror paired with the largest digital camera ever made. @vrubinobs.bsky.social

Stephanie Deppe, PhD @spacescisteph.bsky.social · Jun 24

Holyyyyyy....I am a tired exhausted puddle on the floor. What a day for @vrubinobs.bsky.social! This observatory is incredible.

Highly, HIGHLY recommend joyscolling around Rubin's Skyviewer. I quite like this galaxy - which is your favorite? 🔭🧪

skyviewer.app

A large face-on galaxy in a cosmic tapestry of glittering galaxy jewels. The galaxy nearly looks like a ring surrounding a bright core. A few bright stars pepper the scene, and the background is filled with the smudges of distant galaxies of various colors against the black of space.

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Reposted by Clive McKimmie

Nature @nature.com · Jun 19

Nature research paper: Kupffer cell programming by maternal obesity triggers fatty liver disease

https://go.nature.com/4laOA9s

Kupffer cell programming by maternal obesity triggers fatty liver disease - Nature

In a mouse model, maternal obesity during pregnancy can lead to fatty liver disease in the offspring, driven by aberrant developmental programming of Kuppfer cells.

go.nature.com

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · Jun 12

Last seminar in the series with latest insights from Jonathan Abraham's team - #alphavirus-fest 🤓

Arbovirus seminars @arbovirus.bsky.social · Jun 12

Final seminar before summer break is #Jonathan_Abraham from @harvardmed.bsky.social

With several key recent discoveries on #alphavirus receptor interactions, this is one not to miss.

THURSDAY 19th JUNE.

Re-post to help spread the word. Email to get a #Zoom link. 🙂

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Clive McKimmie @clive-mckimmie.bsky.social · Jun 12

True, boys always have the most pretty fascinators/headpieces.

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