Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics

Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Mayda GÜRSEL

The main areas of research in our laboratory are:

1. Development of vaccine carrier platforms such as nucleic acid-based vaccine adjuvants and virus-like particles, parasite-derived extracellular vesicles, and bacterial-derived membrane vesicles. 

2. Development and testing of nucleic acid-based immunotherapeutic agents that activate or suppress the innate immune system in disease models.

3. Investigation of mechanisms contributing to disease pathogenesis in primary immunodeficiencies in collaboration with clinical immunologists.

By integrating vaccine development, parasitology, vesicle biology, and immunomodulation, our laboratory aims to create new prophylactic and therapeutic strategies covering infectious diseases and immune-mediated disorders.

Research Areas

Vaccines and vaccine adjuvants

Nucleic acid sensors of the innate immune system.

Parasitic diseases and anti-parasite vaccine development

Bacterial membrane vesicles as vaccines and immunotherapeutic agents

Therapeutic applications of immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive oligonucleotides 

Primary immunodeficiencies, Autoinflammatory diseases and interferonopathies

Publications

Güvendi M, Can H, Yavuz İ, Özbilgin A, Değirmenci Döşkaya A, Karakavuk M, Ün C, Gürüz AY, Yılmaz İC, Gürsel M, Gürsel İ, Döşkaya M. In silico identification of Leishmania GP63 protein epitopes to generate a new vaccine antigen against leishmaniasis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2025 Jun 5;19(6):e0013137. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0013137. 

Shibahara T, Temizoz B, Egashira S, Hosomi K, Park J, Surucu N, Björk A, Sag E, Doi T, Kisla Ekinci RM, Balci S, Versnel MA, Kunisawa J, Yamamoto M, Hayashi T, Ito S, Kamiyama Y, Kobiyama K, Katsikis PD, Coban C, Gursel M, Ozen S, Nishida S, Kumanogoh A, Ishii KJ. Microbial dysbiosis fuels STING-driven autoinflammation through cyclic dinucleotides. J Autoimmun. 2025 May 6;154:103434. doi: 10.1016/j.jaut.2025.103434.

Yilmaz IC, Ipekoglu EM, Golcuklu BS, Bildik T, Aksoy AGB, Evcili I, Turay N, Surucu N, Bulbul A, Guvencli N, Yildirim M, Canavar Yildirim T, Atalay YA, Abras I, Ceylan Y, Ozsurekci Y, Tigen ET, Korten V, Gursel M, Gursel I. A phase I/II study of CpG/alum-adjuvanted mammalian-derived quadruple antigen carrying virus-like particle COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine. 2025 Mar 7;49:126787. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.126787.

Bayram Catak F, Catak MC, Babayeva R, Toubia J, Warnock NI, Celmeli F, Hafizoglu D, Yakici N, Kayaoglu B, Surucu N, Yalcin Gungoren E, Can S, Yorgun Altunbas M, Karakus IS, Kiykim A, Orhan F, Bilgic Eltan S, Karakoc-Aydiner E, Ozen A, Erman B, Gursel M, Kok CH, Cildir G, Baris S. Ruxolitinib treatment ameliorates clinical, immunologic, and transcriptomic aberrations in patients with STAT3 gain-of-function disease. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2025 Mar;155(3):784-791. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2024.11.032.

Kahraman T, Akpinar GG, Yildirim M, Larssen P, Bayyurt-Kocabas B, Yagci FC, Gursel A, Horuluoglu BH, Yazar V, Ayanoglu IC, Yildirim TC, Evcili I, Yilmaz IC, Eldh M, Gabrielsson S, Guler U, Salih B, Gursel M, Gursel I. Enhancing preventive and therapeutic cancer vaccine efficacy through biotherapeutic ligand-associated extracellular vesicles. J Control Release. 2024 Oct 25;376:618-631. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2024.10.025. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39419449.

Projects

KORTUP – National Platform for Prevention and Treatment, TÜBİTAK 1004 (Ongoing)

Investigation of the Role of the cGAS-STING Cytosolic DNA Sensing Pathway in Cutaneous Leishmania Infection, TÜBİTAK 1001 (Completed)

COVID-19 TURKEY Platform – Vaccine and Drug Development, TÜBİTAK 1004 (Completed)

Determination of the Effects of Bacterial RNA on the Immune System, TÜBİTAK 1001 (Completed)

Development of a Prototype Vaccine Against Leishmania Infections, TÜBİTAK 1003, (Completed)

Determination of Immune Stimulatory Properties of Secreted Bacterial Nanovesicles and Their Therapeutic Applications, TÜBİTAK 1001 (Completed)

Determination of Immune Stimulatory Properties of Synthetic CpG Oligodeoxynucleotide/Cationic Peptide Complexes, TÜBİTAK 1001 (Completed)

Patents

1. DM. Klinman, M. Gursel and I. Gursel, Methods of altering an immune response induced by CpG oligodeoxynucleotides, (PCT Patent, publication number: WO/2007/027718, publication date: 08-03-2007)

2. D. Verthelyi, I. Gursel, M. Gürsel, R. Zeuner, and D.M. Klinman, Method of treating inflammatory arthropathies with suppressors of CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (PCT patent, publication number: WO2004012669, publication date: 02-23-2004). 

3. D.M. Klinman, M. Gürsel Method of rapid generation of mature dendritic cells (PCT patent, publication number:WO/2003/020884)

4. D.M. Klinman, M. Gürsel, I. Gursel, R. Zeuner, and D. Verthelyi, Suppressors of CpG oligonucleotides and methods of use (PCT patent publication number: WO03027313, publication date 04-07-2003) 

5. D.M. Klinman, D. Verthelyi, K.J. Ishii, J. J. Mond, and M. Gürsel, Oligodeoxynucleotide and its use to induce an immune response. (US Patent: Document Number: 20030060440 Publication date : 2003-03-27)

6. M. Gürsel, D. Verthelyi, and D.M. Klinman, Method for rapid generation of mature dendritic cells, PCT/US2002/025732, 04-08-2008.

Staff

İbrahim Tokmak (PhD student)

Harun Önler (MSc student)

Seda Özbey (TUBITAK scholar)