Clive McKimmie
@clive-mckimmie.bsky.social
Team leader of the Virus Host Interaction Team University of York, Skin Research Centre; 🇬🇧🇪🇺🏳️🌈 (he/him) co-chairs @Arbovirus seminars.
#immunology #virology #skin #vectors
Website https://www.hyms.ac.uk/about/people/Clive-McKimmie
#immunology #virology #skin #vectors
Website https://www.hyms.ac.uk/about/people/Clive-McKimmie
Mechanistically, biting/saliva pushes fibroblasts into a primitive, wound-healing-like state; a reprogrammed condition that makes them highly productive for viral replication.
November 3, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Mechanistically, biting/saliva pushes fibroblasts into a primitive, wound-healing-like state; a reprogrammed condition that makes them highly productive for viral replication.
When transmitted at natural sand fly bites/with saliva, infection was more severe:
⬆️ higher viral loads
🔥 stronger inflammation
🧠 neurological signs and connective tissue inflammation
Inclusion of vector saliva profoundly changes disease trajectories.
⬆️ higher viral loads
🔥 stronger inflammation
🧠 neurological signs and connective tissue inflammation
Inclusion of vector saliva profoundly changes disease trajectories.
November 3, 2025 at 9:06 AM
When transmitted at natural sand fly bites/with saliva, infection was more severe:
⬆️ higher viral loads
🔥 stronger inflammation
🧠 neurological signs and connective tissue inflammation
Inclusion of vector saliva profoundly changes disease trajectories.
⬆️ higher viral loads
🔥 stronger inflammation
🧠 neurological signs and connective tissue inflammation
Inclusion of vector saliva profoundly changes disease trajectories.
Sand fly bites/saliva from two genera enhanced infection by both Toscana virus and a genetically unrelated virus (SFV) in a type I interferon independent manner (mouse model).
November 3, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Sand fly bites/saliva from two genera enhanced infection by both Toscana virus and a genetically unrelated virus (SFV) in a type I interferon independent manner (mouse model).
Sand flies are an important group of biting insects that spread both parasites and viruses, including the neurotropic #Toscana virus. It was not known if the response to sand fly biting altered outcome to infection with virus.
November 3, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Sand flies are an important group of biting insects that spread both parasites and viruses, including the neurotropic #Toscana virus. It was not known if the response to sand fly biting altered outcome to infection with virus.
New paper out in iScience @cellpress.bsky.social
We show that #sand_fly biting reprograms skin fibroblasts, making them more permissive to virus infection
=> #fibroblasts aren’t bystanders, they help define severity/clinical outcome to infection AND #vector biting is key
👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.is...
We show that #sand_fly biting reprograms skin fibroblasts, making them more permissive to virus infection
=> #fibroblasts aren’t bystanders, they help define severity/clinical outcome to infection AND #vector biting is key
👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.is...
November 3, 2025 at 9:06 AM
New paper out in iScience @cellpress.bsky.social
We show that #sand_fly biting reprograms skin fibroblasts, making them more permissive to virus infection
=> #fibroblasts aren’t bystanders, they help define severity/clinical outcome to infection AND #vector biting is key
👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.is...
We show that #sand_fly biting reprograms skin fibroblasts, making them more permissive to virus infection
=> #fibroblasts aren’t bystanders, they help define severity/clinical outcome to infection AND #vector biting is key
👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.is...
New PhD opportunity! Can skin inflammation protect us from mosquito-borne viruses like Zika?
Join our MRC PhD project at York exploring how psoriasis and eczema change skin immunity to virus.
Our grads thrive in academia, biotech & beyond.
Apply now 👉 tinyurl.com/bfmd2rf4
Join our MRC PhD project at York exploring how psoriasis and eczema change skin immunity to virus.
Our grads thrive in academia, biotech & beyond.
Apply now 👉 tinyurl.com/bfmd2rf4
October 31, 2025 at 12:25 PM
New PhD opportunity! Can skin inflammation protect us from mosquito-borne viruses like Zika?
Join our MRC PhD project at York exploring how psoriasis and eczema change skin immunity to virus.
Our grads thrive in academia, biotech & beyond.
Apply now 👉 tinyurl.com/bfmd2rf4
Join our MRC PhD project at York exploring how psoriasis and eczema change skin immunity to virus.
Our grads thrive in academia, biotech & beyond.
Apply now 👉 tinyurl.com/bfmd2rf4
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
✔️ 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
October 1, 2025 at 7:27 AM
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
✔️ 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
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
We compared placebo vs AGS-v PLUS (±adjuvant) to ask: does vaccination alter the early immune response at the bite site? 3/6
October 1, 2025 at 7:27 AM
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
We compared placebo vs AGS-v PLUS (±adjuvant) to ask: does vaccination alter the early immune response at the bite site? 3/6
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
📢 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
October 1, 2025 at 7:27 AM
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
📢 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
Why? Is a flapjack something different where you are?
September 30, 2025 at 6:52 AM
Why? Is a flapjack something different where you are?
Farewell, Zahra! Celebrating the end of a successful PhD journey with some well-deserved fun.
September 24, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Farewell, Zahra! Celebrating the end of a successful PhD journey with some well-deserved fun.
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.
September 19, 2025 at 8:53 AM
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.
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.
August 27, 2025 at 6:13 PM
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.
@chatel-chaixlab.bsky.social just gave excellent summary of their paper on a new #zebrafish model
#ZIKV at GRC viruses and cells. Useful new tool for assessing #neuropathogenesis when paired with unprecedented genetic and imaging capabilities. Worth checking out. journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
#ZIKV at GRC viruses and cells. Useful new tool for assessing #neuropathogenesis when paired with unprecedented genetic and imaging capabilities. Worth checking out. journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
May 22, 2025 at 9:19 AM
@chatel-chaixlab.bsky.social just gave excellent summary of their paper on a new #zebrafish model
#ZIKV at GRC viruses and cells. Useful new tool for assessing #neuropathogenesis when paired with unprecedented genetic and imaging capabilities. Worth checking out. journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
#ZIKV at GRC viruses and cells. Useful new tool for assessing #neuropathogenesis when paired with unprecedented genetic and imaging capabilities. Worth checking out. journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
Looking forward to a day of Yorkshire Immmnology at @york.ac.uk with my former colleague Gerry Graham of @crgglasgow.bsky.social as keynote. If you’re coming do say hi! 👋 #BSIYorkshire25
May 13, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Looking forward to a day of Yorkshire Immmnology at @york.ac.uk with my former colleague Gerry Graham of @crgglasgow.bsky.social as keynote. If you’re coming do say hi! 👋 #BSIYorkshire25
So proud of this diverse, international team, excelling at presenting the results of their hard work, all of who gave superb talks at #microbio25 🥲👏🏼
April 2, 2025 at 4:08 PM
So proud of this diverse, international team, excelling at presenting the results of their hard work, all of who gave superb talks at #microbio25 🥲👏🏼
3 great talks from my team at #microbio25 ; Liam on pro-viral mosquito saliva 31/3 15:30 hall 3b; Amani on how vitD can protect skin from virus 1/4 16:39 hall 4; and Yonca shows how sand fly bites reprograms skin cells to better replicate virus 2/4 15:09 hall 1b. 🥹
#arbovirus #climate_change #skin
#arbovirus #climate_change #skin
March 31, 2025 at 9:40 AM
3 great talks from my team at #microbio25 ; Liam on pro-viral mosquito saliva 31/3 15:30 hall 3b; Amani on how vitD can protect skin from virus 1/4 16:39 hall 4; and Yonca shows how sand fly bites reprograms skin cells to better replicate virus 2/4 15:09 hall 1b. 🥹
#arbovirus #climate_change #skin
#arbovirus #climate_change #skin
Is anyone going to buy a car from this guy 🤔
January 21, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Is anyone going to buy a car from this guy 🤔
It’s graduation time! Super proud of these two young inspiring scientists Ailish McCafferty and Yonça Keskek Turk as they journey on to bigger and better things!
December 19, 2024 at 1:50 PM
It’s graduation time! Super proud of these two young inspiring scientists Ailish McCafferty and Yonça Keskek Turk as they journey on to bigger and better things!
An early visitor looking for some food before work this morning 😊 Has anyone even thought about Christmas yet? Not many Amazon shopping days left… 🙃
November 28, 2024 at 10:28 AM
An early visitor looking for some food before work this morning 😊 Has anyone even thought about Christmas yet? Not many Amazon shopping days left… 🙃
👋 in Cardiff today for @cusystemsimmu.bsky.social divisional research meeting as keynote speaker. Hoping to learn more about the inspiring research you’re doing here. If you’re coming, do reach out, would be great to make a new connection!
November 27, 2024 at 7:20 AM
👋 in Cardiff today for @cusystemsimmu.bsky.social divisional research meeting as keynote speaker. Hoping to learn more about the inspiring research you’re doing here. If you’re coming, do reach out, would be great to make a new connection!
just found this incredible feature in 🦋. Instantly change your feed and gain different perspectives and meet people. Most feeds made by the community. So if interested in science? Or simply cat videos? Search for a feed, click and voila! Instantly switch between or back to normal. So 😎
November 21, 2024 at 6:45 AM
just found this incredible feature in 🦋. Instantly change your feed and gain different perspectives and meet people. Most feeds made by the community. So if interested in science? Or simply cat videos? Search for a feed, click and voila! Instantly switch between or back to normal. So 😎
First day of heavy frost here in North Yorkshire. Red sky turning blue…
November 18, 2024 at 7:51 AM
First day of heavy frost here in North Yorkshire. Red sky turning blue…
You but in blue
November 17, 2024 at 9:24 AM
You but in blue
Just discovering the delights of ChatGPT image generation. This is meant to be me and my research. So much 🤩 😆 .
November 11, 2024 at 8:32 PM
Just discovering the delights of ChatGPT image generation. This is meant to be me and my research. So much 🤩 😆 .