Dr Jeffrey Mak

Research Fellow

Institute for Molecular Bioscience
j.mak@imb.uq.edu.au
+61 7 334 62988

Overview

Biography

Jeffrey Mak (PhD) is an organic chemist at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience. His publications cover a range of disciplines such as biological and medicinal chemistry, total synthesis, and physical organic chemistry. Dr Mak was selected as a Rising Star of Chemistry by the Australian Journal of Chemistry (2022).

Jeffrey Mak was awarded the Harriett Marks Bursary and a UQ University Medal before undertaking doctorate studies in natural product total synthesis with Prof. Craig Williams. This culminated in the first total synthesis of two caged diterpenes, (−)-neovibsanin G and (−)-14-epi-neovibsanin G. Next, he joined Prof. David Fairlie's group at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience. He is currently active in the fields of chemical biology and drug development. He is recognised for his development of ligands that modulate mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, which are a newly characterised subset of immune cells important in antibacterial defence (Accounts of Chemical Research, 2021). In 2014, he was part of an Australian team that discovered the identity of the ligands that activate MAIT cells, as published in Nature, playing a key role in the chemical synthesis and characterisation of the unstable and structurally unprecedented ligands (Nature Communications, 2017). He was selected as a CAS SciFinder Future Leader by the Chemical Abstract Service (a division of the American Chemical Society, 2017). In 2018, Dr Mak was chief investigator on a UQ Early Career Researcher Grant for developing new drug leads that target MAIT cells. Other recent awards include RSC Twitter Poster Conference (Chemical Biology) 1st Prize (2018), and a CASS Travel Award (2018).

Dr Mak has lectured in the undergraduate course Advanced Organic Chemistry (CHEM3001, 2017-2023). He has also served as an ACS Wikipedia Fellow to systematically improve the chemistry and scientific content on Wikipedia (2018). He is currently a member of the UQ Cultural Inclusion Council.

Student projects

Projects in medicinal chemistry, synthesis, and chemical biology are available for enthusiastic organic chemistry students at all levels (PhD, Masters, Honours, Undergraduate). These include the design and synthesis of:

  1. Stable analogues of immunostimulating bacterial ligands towards vaccines and anti-cancer immunotherapies
  2. Chemical biology tools for exploring MAIT cell activation
  3. Highly selective histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors as new drug leads

Previous student publications:

  1. Mak JYW et al. (2021) HDAC7 inhibition by phenacetyl and phenylbenzoyl hydroxamates. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 64 (4), 2186-2204.
  2. Awad W, Ler GJM et al. (2020) The molecular basis underpinning the potency and specificity of MAIT cell antigens. Nature Immunology, 21 (4), 400-411.
  3. Ler GJM, Xu W, Mak JYW, Liu L et al. (2019) Computer modelling and synthesis of deoxy and monohydroxy analogues of a ribitylaminouracil bacterial metabolite that potently activates human T cells. Chemistry – A European Journal, 25 (68), 15594-15608.

Research Interests

  • Mucosal associated invariant T cell (MAIT cell) ligands
    MAIT cells play an important role in antibacterial immune defence. Unlike other T cells, MAIT cells are activated by small heterocyclic molecules. I am interested in using small molecule synthetic chemistry to develop new compounds as research tools for studying MAIT cells. This includes the development of compounds that activate MAIT cells as potential immunostimulants, components of vaccines, and immunotherapeutic agents. However, uncontrolled MAIT cell activation has also been linked to disease, so I am also interested in developing inhibitors of MAIT cell activation as potential anti-inflammatory agents for diseases such as ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel disease. These activities contribute to my overall goal of uncovering the physiological roles and harnessing the therapeutic potential of MAIT cells.
  • Drug design and development against GPCR and enzyme targets
    I am interested in developing potent and selective ligands against GPCR and enzyme targets. These are highly collaborative and multidisciplinary projects involving computer aided design, chemical synthesis, in vitro bioassay, and experimental pharmacology. The aim is to use collective expertise to develop drugs as potential treatments for inflammatory disease. For example, recently, we developed best-in-class drug-like inhibitors of class IIa histone deacetylases, which are emerging targets for cancer and inflammatory disease.

Research Impacts

Research tools

Dr Mak played the key role in the synthesis of the ligands 5-OP-RU and its functionally similar and stable analogue as MAIT cell research reagents (1 patent). These are currently used in twenty labs worldwide and have enabled >15 papers in the MAIT cell field.

Selected talks

  • RACI National Congress, Brisbane, 2022
  • Invited: ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging Legacy and Scientific Summit, Yarra Valley, Australia, 2021
  • Invited: ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging Summit, Torquay, Australia, 2019
  • Invited: 8th Heron Conference on Reactive Intermediates and Unusual Molecules, Uluru, Australia, 2019
  • Invited: Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Brisbane, May, 2019
  • IUPAC International Conference on Organic Synthesis, Florence, Italy, 2018 (sponsored by CASS Travel Award)
  • 254th ACS National Meeting and Exposition, Washington D.C., USA, 2017 (sponsored by CAS SciFinder Future Leaders)
  • Brisbane Life Science Symposium, Brisbane, Australia, 2016
  • Invited: ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging Summit, Melbourne, Australia, 2015

Selected awards

Dr Mak has received >10 awards/honours since 2007, including:

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), The University of Queensland

Publications

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y.W., Liu, Ligong and Fairlie, David P. (2021). Chemical modulators of mucosal associated Invariant T cells. Accounts of Chemical Research, 54 (17) acs.accounts.1c00359, 3462-3475. doi: 10.1021/acs.accounts.1c00359

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Wu, Kai-Chen, Gupta, Praveer K., Barbero, Sheila, McLaughlin, Maddison G., Lucke, Andrew J., Tng, Jiahui, Lim, Junxian, Loh, Zhixuan, Sweet, Matthew J, Reid, Robert C., Liu, Ligong and Fairlie, David P. (2021). HDAC7 inhibition by phenacetyl and phenylbenzoyl hydroxamates. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 64 (4), 2186-2204. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01967

  • McWilliam, Hamish E. G., Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Awad, Wael, Zorkau, Matthew, Cruz-Gomez, Sebastian, Lim, Hui Jing, Yan, Yuting, Wormald, Sam, Dagley, Laura F., Eckle, Sidonia B. G., Corbett, Alexandra J., Liu, Haiyin, Li, Shihan, Reddiex, Scott J. J., Mintern, Justine D., Liu, Ligong, McCluskey, James, Rossjohn, Jamie, Fairlie, David P. and Villadangos, Jose A. (2020). Endoplasmic reticulum chaperones stabilize ligand-receptive MR1 molecules for efficient presentation of metabolite antigens. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117 (40), 1-12. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2011260117

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Xu, Weijun, Reid, Robert C., Corbett, Alexandra J., Meehan, Bronwyn S., Wang, Huimeng, Chen, Zhenjun, Rossjohn, Jamie, McCluskey, James, Liu, Ligong and Fairlie, David P. (2017). Stabilizing short-lived Schiff base derivatives of 5-aminouracils that activate mucosal-associated invariant T cells. Nature Communications, 8 (1) 14599, 14599. doi: 10.1038/ncomms14599

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Pouwer, Rebecca H. and Williams, Craig M. (2014). Natural Products with Anti-Bredt and Bridgehead Double Bonds. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 53 (50), 13664-13688. doi: 10.1002/anie.201400932

  • Corbett, Alexandra J., Eckle, Sidonia B. G., Birkinshaw, Richard W., Liu, Ligong, Patel, Onisha, Mahony, Jennifer, Chen, Zhenjun, Reantragoon, Rangsima, Meehan, Bronwyn, Cao, Hanwei, Williamson, Nicholas A., Strugnell, Richard A., Van Sinderen, Douwe, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Fairlie, David P., Kjer-Nielsen, Lars, Rossjohn, Jamie and McClusky, James (2014). T-cell activation by transitory neo-antigens derived from distinct microbial pathways. Nature, 509 (7500), 361-365. doi: 10.1038/nature13160

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y.W. and Williams, Craig M. (2012). Enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-neovibsanin G and (-)-14-epi-neovibsanin G. Chemical Communications, 48 (2), 287-289. doi: 10.1039/c1cc15995j

View all Publications

Grants

View all Grants

Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

  • Doctor Philosophy

  • Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Publications

Featured Publications

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y.W., Liu, Ligong and Fairlie, David P. (2021). Chemical modulators of mucosal associated Invariant T cells. Accounts of Chemical Research, 54 (17) acs.accounts.1c00359, 3462-3475. doi: 10.1021/acs.accounts.1c00359

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Wu, Kai-Chen, Gupta, Praveer K., Barbero, Sheila, McLaughlin, Maddison G., Lucke, Andrew J., Tng, Jiahui, Lim, Junxian, Loh, Zhixuan, Sweet, Matthew J, Reid, Robert C., Liu, Ligong and Fairlie, David P. (2021). HDAC7 inhibition by phenacetyl and phenylbenzoyl hydroxamates. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 64 (4), 2186-2204. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01967

  • McWilliam, Hamish E. G., Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Awad, Wael, Zorkau, Matthew, Cruz-Gomez, Sebastian, Lim, Hui Jing, Yan, Yuting, Wormald, Sam, Dagley, Laura F., Eckle, Sidonia B. G., Corbett, Alexandra J., Liu, Haiyin, Li, Shihan, Reddiex, Scott J. J., Mintern, Justine D., Liu, Ligong, McCluskey, James, Rossjohn, Jamie, Fairlie, David P. and Villadangos, Jose A. (2020). Endoplasmic reticulum chaperones stabilize ligand-receptive MR1 molecules for efficient presentation of metabolite antigens. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117 (40), 1-12. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2011260117

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Xu, Weijun, Reid, Robert C., Corbett, Alexandra J., Meehan, Bronwyn S., Wang, Huimeng, Chen, Zhenjun, Rossjohn, Jamie, McCluskey, James, Liu, Ligong and Fairlie, David P. (2017). Stabilizing short-lived Schiff base derivatives of 5-aminouracils that activate mucosal-associated invariant T cells. Nature Communications, 8 (1) 14599, 14599. doi: 10.1038/ncomms14599

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Pouwer, Rebecca H. and Williams, Craig M. (2014). Natural Products with Anti-Bredt and Bridgehead Double Bonds. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 53 (50), 13664-13688. doi: 10.1002/anie.201400932

  • Corbett, Alexandra J., Eckle, Sidonia B. G., Birkinshaw, Richard W., Liu, Ligong, Patel, Onisha, Mahony, Jennifer, Chen, Zhenjun, Reantragoon, Rangsima, Meehan, Bronwyn, Cao, Hanwei, Williamson, Nicholas A., Strugnell, Richard A., Van Sinderen, Douwe, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Fairlie, David P., Kjer-Nielsen, Lars, Rossjohn, Jamie and McClusky, James (2014). T-cell activation by transitory neo-antigens derived from distinct microbial pathways. Nature, 509 (7500), 361-365. doi: 10.1038/nature13160

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y.W. and Williams, Craig M. (2012). Enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-neovibsanin G and (-)-14-epi-neovibsanin G. Chemical Communications, 48 (2), 287-289. doi: 10.1039/c1cc15995j

Book Chapter

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Xu, Weijun and Fairlie, David P. (2017). Thiazoles in peptides and peptidomimetics. Peptidomimetics I. (pp. 235-266) edited by William D. Lubell. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/7081_2015_176

Journal Article

  • Ito, Emi, Inuki, Shinsuke, Izumi, Yoshihiro, Takahashi, Masatomo, Dambayashi, Yuki, Ciacchi, Lisa, Awad, Wael, Takeyama, Ami, Shibata, Kensuke, Mori, Shotaro, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Fairlie, David P., Bamba, Takeshi, Ishikawa, Eri, Nagae, Masamichi, Rossjohn, Jamie and Yamasaki, Sho (2024). Sulfated bile acid is a host-derived ligand for MAIT cells. Science Immunology, 9 (91), eade6924. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.ade6924

  • Kammann, Tobias, Gorin, Jean-Baptiste, Parrot, Tiphaine, Gao, Yu, Ponzetta, Andrea, Emgård, Johanna, Maleki, Kimia T., Sekine, Takuya, Rivera-Ballesteros, Olga, Gredmark-Russ, Sara, Rooyackers, Olav, Skagerberg, Magdalena, Eriksson, Lars I., Norrby-Teglund, Anna, Mak, Jeffrey Y.W., Fairlie, David P., Björkström, Niklas K., Klingström, Jonas, Ljunggren, Hans-Gustaf, Aleman, Soo, Buggert, Marcus, Strålin, Kristoffer, Sandberg, Johan K. and Karolinska COVID-19 Study Group (2023). Dynamic MAIT Cell Recovery after Severe COVID-19 Is Transient with Signs of Heterogeneous Functional Anomalies. The Journal of Immunology, 212 (3), 389-396. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300639

  • Nelson, Adam G., Wang, Huimeng, Dewar, Phoebe M., Eddy, Eleanor M., Li, Songyi, Lim, Xin Yi, Patton, Timothy, Zhou, Yuchen, Pediongco, Troi J., Meehan, Lucy J., Meehan, Bronwyn S., Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Fairlie, David P., Stent, Andrew W., Kjer-Nielsen, Lars, McCluskey, James, Eckle, Sidonia B. G., Corbett, Alexandra J., Souter, Michael N. T. and Chen, Zhenjun (2023). Synthetic 5-amino-6-D-ribitylaminouracil paired with inflammatory stimuli facilitates MAIT cell expansion in vivo. Frontiers in Immunology, 14 1109759, 1-15. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1109759

  • Wang, Yizhuo, Abrol, Rishika, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Das Gupta, Kaustav, Ramnath, Divya, Karunakaran, Denuja, Fairlie, David P. and Sweet, Matthew J. (2023). Histone deacetylase 7: a signalling hub controlling development, inflammation, metabolism and disease. The FEBS Journal, 290 (11), 2805-2832. doi: 10.1111/febs.16437

  • Wang, Carl J.H., Awad, Wael, Liu, Ligong, Mak, Jeffrey Y.W., Veerapen, Natacha, Illing, Patricia T., Purcell, Anthony W., Eckle, Sidonia B.G., McCluskey, James, Besra, Gurdyal S., Fairlie, David P., Rossjohn, Jamie and Le Nours, Jérôme (2022). Quantitative affinity measurement of small molecule ligand binding to Major Histocompatibility Complex class-I related protein 1 MR1. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 298 (12) 102714, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102714

  • Lim, Hui Jing, Wubben, Jacinta M., Garcia, Cristian Pinero, Cruz-Gomez, Sebastian, Deng, Jieru, Mak, Jeffrey Y.W., Hachani, Abderrahman, Anderson, Regan J., Painter, Gavin F., Goyette, Jesse, Amarasinghe, Shanika L., Ritchie, Matthew E., Roquilly, Antoine, Fairlie, David P., Gaus, Katharina, Rossjohn, Jamie, Villadangos, Jose A. and McWilliam, Hamish E.G. (2022). A specialized tyrosine-based endocytosis signal in MR1 controls antigen presentation to MAIT cells. Journal of Cell Biology, 221 (12) e202110125. doi: 10.1083/jcb.202110125

  • Souter, Michael N.T., Awad, Wael, Li, Shihan, Pediongco, Troi J., Meehan, Bronwyn S., Meehan, Lucy J., Tian, Zehua, Zhao, Zhe, Wang, Huimeng, Nelson, Adam, Le Nours, Jérôme, Khandokar, Yogesh, Praveena, T., Wubben, Jacinta, Lin, Jie, Sullivan, Lucy C., Lovrecz, George O., Mak, Jeffrey Y.W., Liu, Ligong, Kostenko, Lyudmila, Kedzierska, Katherine, Corbett, Alexandra J., Fairlie, David P., Brooks, Andrew G., Gherardin, Nicholas A., Uldrich, Adam P., Chen, Zhenjun, Rossjohn, Jamie, Godfrey, Dale I. ... Eckle, Sidonia B.G. (2022). CD8 coreceptor engagement of MR1 enhances antigen responsiveness by human MAIT and other MR1-reactive T cells. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 219 (9) e20210828, 1-30. doi: 10.1084/jem.20210828

  • de Araujo, Aline Dantes, Hoang, Huy N., Lim, Junxian, Mak, Jeffrey and Fairlie, David P. (2022). Tuning electrostatic and hydrophobic surfaces of aromatic rings to enhance membrane association and cell uptake of peptides. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 61 (29) e202203995, e202203995. doi: 10.1002/anie.202203995

  • de Araujo, Aline D., Hoang, Huy N., Lim, Junxian, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W. and Fairlie, David P. (2022). Tuning Electrostatic and Hydrophobic Surfaces of Aromatic Rings to Enhance Membrane Association and Cell Uptake of Peptides. Angewandte Chemie, 134 (29). doi: 10.1002/ange.202203995

  • Wang, Huimeng, Nelson, Adam G., Wang, Bingjie, Zhao, Zhe, Lim, Xin Yi, Shi, Mai, Meehan, Lucy J., Jia, Xiaoxiao, Kedzierska, Katherine, Meehan, Bronwyn S., Eckle, Sidonia B. G., Souter, Michael N. T., Pediongco, Troi J., Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Fairlie, David P., McCluskey, James, Wang, Zhongfang, Corbett, Alexandra J. and Chen, Zhenjun (2022). The balance of IL ‐12 and IL ‐23 determines the bias of MAIT1 versus MAIT17 responses during bacterial infection. Immunology & Cell Biology, 100 (7), 547-561. doi: 10.1111/imcb.12556

  • Johnson, Darryl N., Ruan, Zheng, Petley, Emma V., Devi, Sapna, Holz, Lauren E., Uldrich, Adam P., Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Hor, Jyh Liang, Mueller, Scott N., McCluskey, James, Fairlie, David P., Darcy, Phillip K., Beavis, Paul A., Heath, William R. and Godfrey, Dale I. (2022). Differential location of NKT and MAIT cells within lymphoid tissue. Scientific Reports, 12 (1) 4034, 4034. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-07704-4

  • Tran, Thao Thanh, Mathmann, Carmen D., Gatica-Andrades, Marcela, Rollo, Rachel F., Oelker, Melanie, Ljungberg, Johanna K., Nguyen, Tam T. K., Zamoshnikova, Alina, Kummari, Lalith K., Wyer, Orry J. K., Irvine, Katharine M., Melo-Bolívar, Javier, Gross, Annette, Brown, Darren, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Fairlie, David P., Hansford, Karl A., Cooper, Matthew A., Giri, Rabina, Schreiber, Veronika, Joseph, Shannon R., Simpson, Fiona, Barnett, Timothy C., Johansson, Jörgen, Dankers, Wendy, Harris, James, Wells, Timothy J., Kapetanovic, Ronan, Sweet, Matthew J. ... Blumenthal, Antje (2022). Inhibition of the master regulator of Listeria monocytogenes virulence enables bacterial clearance from spacious replication vacuoles in infected macrophages. PLoS Pathogens, 18 (1) e1010166, e1010166. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010166

  • Phetsouphanh, Chansavath, Phalora, Prabhjeet, Hackstein, Carl-Philipp, Thornhill, John, Munier, Mee Ling, Meyerowitz, Jodi, Murray, Lyle, VanVuuren, Cloete, Goedhals, Dominique, Drexhage, Linnea, Moore, Rebecca, Sattentau, Quentin J, Mak, Jeffrey YW, Fairlie, David P, Fidler, Sarah, Kelleher, Anthony, Frater, John and Klenerman, Paul (2021). Human MAIT cells respond to and suppress HIV-1. eLife, 10 e50324. doi: 10.7554/elife.50324

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y.W., Liu, Ligong and Fairlie, David P. (2021). Chemical modulators of mucosal associated Invariant T cells. Accounts of Chemical Research, 54 (17) acs.accounts.1c00359, 3462-3475. doi: 10.1021/acs.accounts.1c00359

  • Petley, Emma V., Koay, Hui-Fern, Henderson, Melissa A., Sek, Kevin, Todd, Kirsten L., Keam, Simon P., Lai, Junyun, House, Imran G., Li, Jasmine, Zethoven, Magnus, Chen, Amanda X. Y., Oliver, Amanda J., Michie, Jessica, Freeman, Andrew J., Giuffrida, Lauren, Chan, Jack D., Pizzolla, Angela, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., McCulloch, Timothy R., Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes, Fernando, Kearney, Conor J., Millen, Rosemary, Ramsay, Robert G., Huntington, Nicholas D., McCluskey, James, Oliaro, Jane, Fairlie, David P., Neeson, Paul J., Godfrey, Dale I. ... Darcy, Phillip K. (2021). MAIT cells regulate NK cell-mediated tumor immunity. Nature Communications, 12 (1) 4746, 1-15. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-25009-4

  • Zhao, Zhe, Wang, Huimeng, Shi, Mai, Zhu, Tianyuan, Pediongco, Troi, Lim, Xin Yi, Meehan, Bronwyn S., Nelson, Adam G., Fairlie, David P., Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Eckle, Sidonia B. G., de Lima Moreira, Marcela, Tumpach, Carolin, Bramhall, Michael, Williams, Cameron G., Lee, Hyun Jae, Haque, Ashraful, Evrard, Maximilien, Rossjohn, Jamie, McCluskey, James, Corbett, Alexandra J. and Chen, Zhenjun (2021). Francisella tularensis induces Th1 like MAIT cells conferring protection against systemic and local infection. Nature Communications, 12 (1) 4355, 1-15. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-24570-2

  • Edmans, Matthew D., Connelley, Timothy K., Jayaraman, Siddharth, Vrettou, Christina, Vordermeier, Martin, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Liu, Ligong, Fairlie, David P., Maze, Emmanuel Atangana, Chrun, Tiphany, Klenerman, Paul, Eckle, Sidonia B. G., Tchilian, Elma and Benedictus, Lindert (2021). Identification and phenotype of MAIT cells in cattle and their response to bacterial infections. Frontiers in Immunology, 12 627173, 627173. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.627173

  • Howson, Lauren J., Li, Jasmine, von Borstel, Anouk, Barugahare, Adele, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Fairlie, David P., McCluskey, James, Turner, Stephen J., Davey, Martin S. and Rossjohn, Jamie (2021). Mucosal-associated invariant t cell effector function is an intrinsic cell property that can be augmented by the metabolic cofactor α-ketoglutarate. The Journal of Immunology, 206 (7) ji2001048, 1425-1435. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2001048

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Wu, Kai-Chen, Gupta, Praveer K., Barbero, Sheila, McLaughlin, Maddison G., Lucke, Andrew J., Tng, Jiahui, Lim, Junxian, Loh, Zhixuan, Sweet, Matthew J, Reid, Robert C., Liu, Ligong and Fairlie, David P. (2021). HDAC7 inhibition by phenacetyl and phenylbenzoyl hydroxamates. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 64 (4), 2186-2204. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01967

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y. W. (2021). Determination of sample concentrations by PULCON NMR spectroscopy. Australian Journal of Chemistry, 75 (2), 160-164. doi: 10.1071/ch21149

  • Leeansyah, Edwin, Hey, Ying Ying, Sia, Wan Rong, Ng, Justin Han Jia, Gulam, Muhammad Yaaseen, Boulouis, Caroline, Zhu, Feng, Ahn, Matae, Mak, Jeffrey Y.W., Fairlie, David P., Kwa, Andrea Lay Hoon, Sandberg, Johan K. and Wang, Lin-Fa (2020). MR1-restricted T cells with MAIT-like characteristics are functionally conserved in the Pteropid Bat Pteropus alecto. iScience, 23 (12) 101876, 101876. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101876

  • Yu, Huifeng, Yang, Amy, Derrick, Steven, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Liu, Ligong, Fairlie, David P. and Cowley, Siobhan (2020). Artificially induced MAIT cells inhibit M. bovis BCG but not M. tuberculosis during in vivo pulmonary infection. Scientific Reports, 10 (1) 13579, 13579. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-70615-9

  • McWilliam, Hamish E. G., Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Awad, Wael, Zorkau, Matthew, Cruz-Gomez, Sebastian, Lim, Hui Jing, Yan, Yuting, Wormald, Sam, Dagley, Laura F., Eckle, Sidonia B. G., Corbett, Alexandra J., Liu, Haiyin, Li, Shihan, Reddiex, Scott J. J., Mintern, Justine D., Liu, Ligong, McCluskey, James, Rossjohn, Jamie, Fairlie, David P. and Villadangos, Jose A. (2020). Endoplasmic reticulum chaperones stabilize ligand-receptive MR1 molecules for efficient presentation of metabolite antigens. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117 (40), 1-12. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2011260117

  • Yu, Huifeng, Yang, Amy, Liu, Ligong, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Fairlie, David P. and Cowley, Siobhan (2020). CXCL16 stimulates antigen-induced MAIT cell accumulation but trafficking during lung infection is CXCR6-independent. Frontiers in Immunology, 11 1773, 1773. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01773

  • Howson, Lauren J., Awad, Wael, von Borstel, Anouk, Lim, Hui Jing, McWilliam, Hamish E. G., Sandoval-Romero, Maria L., Majumdar, Shamik, Hamzeh, Abdul Rezzak, Andrews, Thomas D., McDermott, David H., Murphy, Philip M., Le Nours, Jérôme, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Liu, Ligong, Fairlie, David P., McCluskey, James, Villadangos, Jose A., Cook, Matthew C., Turner, Stephen J., Davey, Martin S., Ojaimi, Samar and Rossjohn, Jamie (2020). Absence of mucosal-associated invariant T cells in a person with a homozygous point mutation in MR1. Science Immunology, 5 (49) 9492, eabc9492. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abc9492

  • Boulouis, Caroline, Sia, Wan Rong, Gulam, Muhammad Yaaseen, Teo, Jocelyn Qi Min, Png, Yi Tian, Phan, Thanh Kha, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Fairlie, David P., Poon, Ivan K. H., Koh, Tse Hsien, Bergman, Peter, Lim, Chwee Ming, Wang, Lin-Fa, Kwa, Andrea Lay Hoon, Sandberg, Johan K. and Leeansyah, Edwin (2020). Human MAIT cell cytolytic effector proteins synergize to overcome carbapenem resistance in Escherichia coli. PLoS Biology, 18 (6) e3000644, e3000644. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000644

  • Koay, Hui Fern, Su, Shian, Amann-Zalcenstein, Daniela, Daley, Stephen R, Comerford, Iain, Whyte, Carly E, Konstantinov, Igor E, d’Udekem, Yves, Baldwin, Tracey, Hickey, Peter F, Berzins, Stuart P, Mak, Jeffrey Y.W., Kallies, Axel, Chen, Zhenjun, Nussing, Simone, Kedzierska, Katherine, Mackay, Laura K, McColl, Shaun R, Deenick, Elissa K, Fairlie, David P, McCluskey, James, Goodnow, Christopher C, Ritchie, Matthew E, Belz, Gabrielle T, Naik, Shalin H, Pellicci, Daniel G and Godfrey, Dale I (2020). A divergent transcriptional landscape underpins the development and functional branching of MAIT cells. The Journal of Immunology, 204 (1_Supplement), 223.8-223.8. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.204.supp.223.8

  • Awad, Wael, Ler, Geraldine J. M., Xu, Weijun, Keller, Andrew N., Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Lim, Xin Yi, Liu, Ligong, Eckle, Sidonia B. G., Le Nours, Jérôme, McCluskey, James, Corbett, Alexandra J., Fairlie, David P. and Rossjohn, Jamie (2020). The molecular basis underpinning the potency and specificity of MAIT cell antigens. Nature Immunology, 21 (4), 400-411. doi: 10.1038/s41590-020-0616-6

  • Yan, Juming, Allen, Stacey, McDonald, Elizabeth, Das, Indrajit, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Liu, Ligong, Fairlie, David P., Meehan, Bronwyn S., Chen, Zhenjun, Corbett, Alexandra J., Varelias, Antiopi, Smyth, Mark J. and Teng, Michele W. L. (2020). MAIT cells promote tumor initiation, growth and metastases via tumor MR1. Cancer Discovery, 10 (1), 124-141. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-19-0569

  • Koay, H-. F., Su, S., Amann-Zalcenstein, D., Daley, S. R., Comerford, I., Miosge, L., Whyte, C. E., Konstantinov, I. E., d'Udekem, Y., Baldwin, T., Hickey, P. F., Berzins, S. P., Mak, J. Y. W., Sontani, Y., Roots, C. M., Sidwell, T., Kallies, A., Chen, Z., Nüssing, S., Kedzierska, K., Mackay, L. K., McColl, S. R., Deenick, E. K., Fairlie, D. P., McCluskey, J., Goodnow, C. C., Ritchie, M. E., Belz, G. T., Naik, S. H. ... Godfrey, D. I. (2019). A divergent transcriptional landscape underpins the development and functional branching of MAIT cells. Science Immunology, 4 (41) eaay6039, eaay6039. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aay6039

  • Wang, Huimeng, Kjer-Nielsen, Lars, Shi, Mai, D'Souza, Criselle, Pediongco, Troi J., Cao, Hanwei, Kostenko, Lyudmila, Lim, Xin Yi, Eckle, Sidonia B. G., Meehan, Bronwyn S., Zhu, Tianyuan, Wang, Bingjie, Zhao, Zhe, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Fairlie, David P., Teng, Michele W. L., Rossjohn, Jamie, Yu, Di, de St Groth, Barbara Fazekas, Lovrecz, George, Lu, Louis, McCluskey, James, Strugnell, Richard A., Corbett, Alexandra J. and Chen, Zhenjun (2019). IL-23 costimulates antigen-specific MAIT cell activation and enables vaccination against bacterial infection. Science Immunology, 4 (41) eaaw0402, eaaw0402. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aaw0402

  • Ler, Geraldine J. M., Xu, Weijun, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Liu, Ligong, Bernhardt, Paul V. and Fairlie, David P (2019). Computer modelling and synthesis of deoxy and monohydroxy analogues of a ribitylaminouracil bacterial metabolite that potently activates human T cells. Chemistry – A European Journal, 25 (68) chem.201903732, 15594-15608. doi: 10.1002/chem.201903732

  • Juno, Jennifer A., Wragg, Kathleen M., Amarasena, Thakshila, Meehan, Bronwyn S., Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Liu, Ligong, Fairlie, David P., McCluskey, James, Eckle, Sidonia B. G. and Kent, Stephen J. (2019). MAIT cells upregulate α4β7 in response to acute simian immunodeficiency virus/simian HIV infection but are resistant to peripheral depletion in pigtail macaques. The Journal of Immunology, 202 (7), ji1801405-2120. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1801405

  • Wang, Huimeng, D’Souza, Criselle, Lim, Xin Yi, Kostenko, Lyudmila, Pediongco, Troi J., Eckle, Sidonia B. G., Meehan, Bronwyn S., Shi, Mai, Wang, Nancy, Li, Shihan, Liu, Ligong, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Fairlie, David P., Iwakura, Yoichiro, Gunnersen, Jennifer M., Stent, Andrew W., Godfrey, Dale I., Rossjohn, Jamie, Westall, Glen P., Kjer-Nielsen, Lars, Strugnell, Richard A., McCluskey, James, Corbett, Alexandra J., Hinks, Timothy S. C. and Chen, Zhenjun (2018). MAIT cells protect against pulmonary Legionella longbeachae infection. Nature Communications, 9 (1) 3350, 3350. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-05202-8

  • Varelias, Antiopi, Bunting, Mark, Ormerod, Kate, Koyama, Motoko, Olver, Stuart, Straube, Jasmin, Kuns, Rachel, Robb, Renee, Henden, Andrea, Cooper, Leanne, Lachner, Nancy, Gartlan, Kate, Lantz, Olivier J., Kjer-Nielsen, Lars, Mak, Jeffrey, Fairlie, David, Clouston, Andrew, McCluskey, James, Rossjohn, Jamie, Lane, Steven, Hugenholtz, Phil and Hill, Geoff (2018). Recipient mucosal-associated invariant T cells control graft-versus-host-disease within the colon. The Journal of Immunology, 200 (1_Supplement), 55.15-55.15. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.200.supp.55.15

  • Kjer-Nielsen, Lars, Corbett, Alexandra J., Chen, Zhenjun, Liu, Ligong, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Godfrey, Dale I., Rossjohn, Jamie, Fairlie, David P., McCluskey, James and Eckle, Sidonia B. G. (2018). An overview on the identification of MAIT cell antigens. Immunology and Cell Biology, 96 (6), 573-587. doi: 10.1111/imcb.12057

  • Varelias, Antiopi, Bunting, Mark D., Ormerod, Kate L., Koyama, Motoko, Olver, Stuart D., Straube, Jasmin, Kuns, Rachel D., Robb, Renee J., Henden, Andrea S., Cooper, Leanne, Lachner, Nancy, Gartlan, Kate H., Lantz, Olivier, Kjer-Nielsen, Lars, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Fairlie, David P., Clouston, Andrew D., McCluskey, James, Rossjohn, Jamie, Lane, Steven W., Hugenholtz, Philip and Hill, Geoffrey R. (2018). Recipient mucosal-associated invariant T cells control GVHD within the colon. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 128 (5), 1919-1936. doi: 10.1172/JCI91646

  • D'Souza, Criselle, Pediongco, Troi, Wang, Huimeng, Scheerlinck, Jean-Pierre Y., Kostenko, Lyudmila, Esterbauer, Robyn, Stent, Andrew W., Eckle, Sidonia B. G., Meehan, Bronwyn S., Strugnell, Richard A., Cao, Hanwei, Liu, Ligong, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Lovrecz, George, Lu, Louis, Fairlie, David P., Rossjohn, Jamie, McCluskey, James, Every, Alison L., Chen, Zhenjun and Corbett, Alexandra J. (2018). Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells Augment Immunopathology and Gastritis in Chronic Helicobacter pylori Infection. Journal of Immunology, 200 (5), 1901-1916. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1701512

  • Stoermer, Martin J., Wickramasinghe, Wasantha A., Byriel, Karl A., Hockless, David C. R., Skelton, Brian W., Sobolev, Alexandre N., White, Allan H., Mak, Jeffrey Y. W. and Fairlie, David P. (2017). Stereoelectronic Effects on Dienophile Separation Influence the Diels–Alder Synthesis of Molecular Clefts. European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2017 (45), 6793-6796. doi: 10.1002/ejoc.201701319

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Xu, Weijun, Reid, Robert C., Corbett, Alexandra J., Meehan, Bronwyn S., Wang, Huimeng, Chen, Zhenjun, Rossjohn, Jamie, McCluskey, James, Liu, Ligong and Fairlie, David P. (2017). Stabilizing short-lived Schiff base derivatives of 5-aminouracils that activate mucosal-associated invariant T cells. Nature Communications, 8 (1) 14599, 14599. doi: 10.1038/ncomms14599

  • Keller, Andrew N., Eckle, Sidonia B. G., Xu, Weijun, Liu, Ligong, Hughes, Victoria A., Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Meehan, Bronwyn S., Pediongco, Troi, Birkinshaw, Richard W., Chen, Zhenjun, Wang, Huimeng, D'Souza, Criselle, Kjer-Nielsen, Lars, Gherardin, Nicholas A., Godfrey, Dale I., Kostenko, Lyudmila, Corbett, Alexandra J., Purcell, Anthony W., Fairlie, David P., McCluskey, James and Rossjohn, Jamie (2017). Drugs and drug-like molecules can modulate the function of mucosal-associated invariant T cells. Nature Immunology, 18 (4), 402-411. doi: 10.1038/ni.3679

  • Yau, Mei-Kwan, Liu, Ligong, Suen, Jacky Y., Lim, Junxian, Lohman, Rink-Jan, Jiang, Yuhong, Cotterell, Adam J., Barry, Grant D., Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Vesey, David A., Reid, Robert C. and Fairlie, David P. (2016). PAR2 modulators derived from GB88. ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 7 (12), 1179-1184. doi: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.6b00306

  • Eckle, Sidonia B.G., Corbett, Alexandra J., Keller, Andrew, Chen, Zhenjun, Godfrey, Dale I., Liu, Ligong, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Fairlie, David P., Rossjohn, Jamie and McCluskey, James (2015). Recognition of Vitamin B precursors and byproducts by Mucosal Associated Invariant T cells. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 290 (51), 30204-30211. doi: 10.1074/jbc.R115.685990

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Pouwer, Rebecca H. and Williams, Craig M. (2014). Natural Products with Anti-Bredt and Bridgehead Double Bonds. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 53 (50), 13664-13688. doi: 10.1002/anie.201400932

  • Corbett, Alexandra J., Eckle, Sidonia B. G., Birkinshaw, Richard W., Liu, Ligong, Patel, Onisha, Mahony, Jennifer, Chen, Zhenjun, Reantragoon, Rangsima, Meehan, Bronwyn, Cao, Hanwei, Williamson, Nicholas A., Strugnell, Richard A., Van Sinderen, Douwe, Mak, Jeffrey Y. W., Fairlie, David P., Kjer-Nielsen, Lars, Rossjohn, Jamie and McClusky, James (2014). T-cell activation by transitory neo-antigens derived from distinct microbial pathways. Nature, 509 (7500), 361-365. doi: 10.1038/nature13160

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y. W. and Williams, Craig M. (2012). Erratum: Enantioselective total synthesis of ()-neovibsanin G and ()-14-epi-neovibsanin G (Chemical Communications (2012) (287-289) DOI: 10.1039/c1cc15995j)). Chemical Communications, 48 (100) doi: 10.1039/c2cc90426h

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y. W. and Williams, Craig M. (2012). Key achievements in the total synthesis of vibsane-type diterpenoids. Natural Product Reports, 29 (4), 440-448. doi: 10.1039/c2np00067a

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y. W. and Williams, Craig M. (2012). Total synthesis of (-)-neovibsanin G and (-)-14-epi-neovibsanin G: Towards the synthesis of 15-O-methylneovibsanin F and 14-epi-15-O-methylneovibsanin F. European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2012 (10), 2001-2012. doi: 10.1002/ejoc.201101796

  • Mak, Jeffrey Y.W. and Williams, Craig M. (2012). Enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-neovibsanin G and (-)-14-epi-neovibsanin G. Chemical Communications, 48 (2), 287-289. doi: 10.1039/c1cc15995j

  • McGeary, Ross P., Vella, Peter, Mak, Jeffery Y. W., Guddat, Luke W. and Schenk, Gerhard (2009). Inhibition of purple acid phosphatase with alpha-alkoxynaphthylmethylphosphonic acids. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 19 (1), 163-166. doi: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2008.10.125

Conference Publication

  • Wang, H., Kjer-Nielsen, L., Shi, M., Souza, D. C., Pediongco, T., Cao, H., Kostenko, L., Lim, X., Eckle, S., Meeha, B., Wang, B., Zhu, T., Mak, J., Fairlie, D., Teng, M., Rossjohn, J., Yu, D., Groth, B., McCluskey, J., Strugnell, R., Corbett, A. and Chen, Z. (2019). IL-23 co-stimulation drives antigen-specific MAIT cell activation and enables vaccination against bacterial infection. 17th International Congress of Immunology (IUIS), Beijing, China, 19-23 October, 2019. Weinheim, Germany: WILEY. doi: 10.1002/eji.201970400

  • Varelias, Antiopi, Bunting, Mark, Ormerod, Kate, Koyama, Motoko, Olver, Stuart, Straube, Jasmin, Kuns, Rachel, Robb, Renee, Henden, Andrea, Cooper, Leanne, Lachner, Nancy, Gartlan, Kate, Lantz, Olivier J., Kjer-Nielsen, Lars, Mak, Jeffrey, Fairlie, David, Clouston, Andrew, McCluskey, James, Rossjohn, Jamie, Lane, Steven, Hugenholtz, Phil and Hill, Geoff (2018). Recipient mucosal-associated invariant T cells control graft-versus-host-disease within the colon. Immunology Meeting, Austin Tx, 4-8 May 2018. Bethesda, MD United States: American Association of Immunologists.

  • Stoermer, Martin J., Wickramasinghe, Wasantha A., Byriel, Karl A., Hockless, David C. R., Skelton, Brian W., Sobolev, Alexandre N., White, Alan H., Mak, Jeffrey Y. W. and Fairlie, David P. (2018). Stereoelectronic effects on dienophile separation influence the Diels–Alder synthesis of molecular clefts. 2018 Royal Society of Chemistry Twitter Conference, London, United Kingdom (held online), 6-7 March 2018. London, United Kingdom: Royal Society of Chemistry.

  • Mak, Jeffrey, Xu, Weijun, Reid, Robert, Corbett, Alexandra, Meehan, Bronwyn, Wang, Huimeng, Chen, Zhenjun, Rossjohn, Jamie, McCluskey, James, Liu, Ligong and Fairlie, David (2017). Vitamin B2 related molecules that activate T cells. 254th National Meeting and Exposition of the American-Chemical-Society (ACS) on Chemistry's Impact on the Global Economy, Washington DC, USA, 20-24 August 2017. Washington DC, USA: American Chemical Society.

  • Keller, A. N., Eckle, S. B. G., Xu, W., Liu, L., Hughes, V. A., Mak, J., Meehan, B., Pediongco, T., Birkinshaw, R. W., Chen, Z., Wang, H., Souza, C., Kostenko, L., Corbett, A. J., Purcell, A. W., Fairlie, D. P., McCluskey, J. and Rossjohn, J. (2016). Common drugs modulate mucosal-associated invariant T cell function. International Congress of Immunology (ICI), Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 21-26 August 2016. Germany: Wiley. doi: 10.1002/eji.201670200

  • Eckle, S. B. G., Keller, A. N., Xu, W., Meehan, B., Pediongco, T., Liu, L., Hughes, V. A., Mak, J. Y. W., Birkinshaw, R. W., Chen, Z., Wang, H., D'Souza, C., Kostenko, L., Corbett, A. J., Purcell, A. W., Fairlie, D. P., Rossjohn, J. and McCluskey, J. (2016). Drugs/drug analogues modulate MAIT cell function in an MR1-dependent manner. International Congress of Immunology (ICI), Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 21-26 August 2016. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley - VCH. doi: 10.1002/eji.201670200

  • McCluskey, J., Corbett, A. J., Eckle, S. B. G., Chen, Z., Wang, H., Sun, S., D'Souza, C., Kostenko, L., Reantragoon, R., Meehan, B., Birkinshaw, R. W., Liu, L., Patel, O., Mahony, J., Cao, H., Jackson, D., Williamson, N. A., Strugnell, R. A., Mak, J. Y. W., Van Sinderen, D., Fairlie, D. P., Kjer-Nielsen, L., Godfrey, D., I and Rossjohn, J. (2016). MAIT cells: Friend or Foe in recognising microbial vitamin metabolites presented by the MHC-I-related molecule MR1. International Congress of Immunology (ICI), Melbourne, Australia, August 21-26, 2016. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley. doi: 10.1002/eji.201670200

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

Completed Supervision