Dr Ismail Sebina
Honorary Research Fellow
School of Biomedical Sciences
Research Fellow/Senior Research officer
Frazer Institute
Researcher biography
Dr Ismail Sebina is a Research Fellow at the Frazer Institute-The University of Queensland, under the mentorship of Prof. Gabrielle Belz. He holds a PhD in immunology from The University of Queensland (awarded in 2017) and a Master's degree in the Immunology of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM; UK). He has contributed to discovery and translational immunological research in several laboratories across the USA, the UK, Uganda, and Australia, implementing studies in both preclinical mouse models and humans. He completed six years of rigorous postdoctoral training in immunology at the University of Washington (USA) and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research institute (QIMR Berghofer; Australia). He has demonstrated a strong record of publications in high-impact journals such as Immunity, Science Immunology, JCI and PNAS. He has regularly presented his findings at national and international conferences (e.g. Keystone Symposium and ASI), furthering my engagement with the scientific community. Dr. Sebina's primary research focus revolves around uncovering the mechanisms that underpin natural and vaccine-induced immunity to infections. With a passion for improving maternal, newborn, and child health, he also explores novel immunological strategies that have the potential to revolutionize healthcare practices in this area.
Journal Articles
Stylianou, Nataly, Sebina, Ismail, Matigian, Nicholas, Monkman, James, Doehler, Hadeel, Röhl, Joan, Allenby, Mark, Nam, Andy, Pan, Liuliu, Rockstroh, Anja, Sadeghirad, Habib, Chung, Kimberly, Sobanski, Thais, O'Byrne, Ken, Almeida, Ana Clara Simoes Florido, Rebutini, Patricia Zadorosnei, Machado‐Souza, Cleber, Stonoga, Emanuele Therezinha Schueda, Warkiani, Majid E, Salomon, Carlos, Short, Kirsty, McClements, Lana, de Noronha, Lucia, Huang, Ruby, Belz, Gabrielle T, Souza‐Fonseca‐Guimaraes, Fernando, Clifton, Vicki and Kulasinghe, Arutha (2024). Whole transcriptome profiling of placental pathobiology in SARS‐CoV‐2 pregnancies identifies placental dysfunction signatures. Clinical & Translational Immunology, 13 (2) e1488, e1488. doi: 10.1002/cti2.1488
Agravat, Priyesh, Loucaides, Eva M, Kumar, Meghan Bruce, Howells, Anna, García, Alexandra Molina, Sebina, Ismail, Balanza, Núria, Fitchett, Elizabeth J A and Lawn, Joy E (2023). Research funding for newborn health and stillbirths, 2011–20: a systematic analysis of levels and trends. The Lancet Global Health, 11 (11), e1794-e1804. doi: 10.1016/s2214-109x(23)00379-0
Curren, Bodie, Ahmed, Tufael, Howard, Daniel R., Ashik Ullah, Md., Sebina, Ismail, Rashid, Ridwan B., Al Amin Sikder, Md., Namubiru, Patricia, Bissell, Alec, Ngo, Sylvia, Jackson, David J, Toussaint, Marie, Edwards, Michael R., Johnston, Sebastian L, McSorley, Henry J. and Phipps, Simon (2023). IL-33-induced neutrophilic inflammation and NETosis underlie rhinovirus-triggered exacerbations of asthma. Mucosal Immunology, 16 (5), 671-684. doi: 10.1016/j.mucimm.2023.07.002
Sikder, Md. Al Amin, Rashid, Ridwan B., Ahmed, Tufael, Sebina, Ismail, Howard, Daniel R., Ullah, Md. Ashik, Rahman, Muhammed Mahfuzur, Lynch, Jason P., Curren, Bodie, Werder, Rhiannon B., Simpson, Jennifer, Bissell, Alec, Morrison, Mark, Walpole, Carina, Radford, Kristen J., Kumar, Vinod, Woodruff, Trent M., Ying, Tan Hui, Ali, Ayesha, Kaiko, Gerard E., Upham, John W., Hoelzle, Robert D., Cuív, Páraic Ó., Holt, Patrick G., Dennis, Paul G. and Phipps, Simon (2023). Maternal diet modulates the infant microbiome and intestinal Flt3L necessary for dendritic cell development and immunity to respiratory infection. Immunity, 56 (5), 1098-1114.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.03.002
Sebina, Ismail, Rashid, Ridwan B., Sikder, Md. Al Amin, Rahman, Muhammed Mahfuzur, Ahmed, Tufael, Radford-Smith, Daniel E., Kotenko, Sergei V., Hill, Geoffrey R., Bald, Tobias and Phipps, Simon (2022). IFN-λ diminishes the severity of viral bronchiolitis in neonatal mice by limiting NADPH oxidase–induced PAD4-independent NETosis. The Journal of Immunology, 208 (12), 2806-2816. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100876
Manna, Sam, McAuley, Julie, Jacobson, Jonathan, Nguyen, Cattram D., Ullah, Md Ashik, Sebina, Ismail, Williamson, Victoria, Mulholland, E. Kim, Wijburg, Odilia, Phipps, Simon and Satzke, Catherine (2022). Synergism and antagonism of bacterial-viral coinfection in the upper respiratory tract. mSphere, 7 (1) e00984-21. doi: 10.1128/msphere.00984-21
Werder, Rhiannon B., Ullah, Md Ashik, Rahman, Muhammed Mahfuzur, Simpson, Jennifer, Lynch, Jason P., Collinson, Natasha, Rittchen, Sonja, Rashid, Ridwan B., Sikder, Md Al Amin, Handoko, Herlina Y., Curren, Bodie F., Sebina, Ismail, Hartel, Gunter, Bissell, Alec, Ngo, Sylvia, Yarlagadda, Tejasri, Hasnain, Sumaira Z., Lu, Wenying, Sohal, Sukhwinder S., Martin, Megan, Bowler, Simon, Burr, Lucy D., Martinez, Laurent O., Robaye, Bernard, Spann, Kirsten, Ferreira, Manuel A. R. and Phipps, Simon (2022). Targeting the P2Y13 receptor suppresses IL-33 and HMGB1 release and ameliorates experimental asthma. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 205 (3), 300-312. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202009-3686oc
Kimuda, Simon G., Andia-Biraro, Irene, Sebina, Ismail, Egesa, Moses, Nalwoga, Angela, Smith, Steven G., Bagaya, Bernard S., Levin, Jonathan, Elliott, Alison M., Raynes, John G. and Cose, Stephen (2020). Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection is associated with increased B cell responses to unrelated pathogens. Scientific Reports, 10 (1) 14324, 14324. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-71044-4
Sebina, Ismail and Phipps, Simon (2020). The contribution of neutrophils to the pathogenesis of RSV bronchiolitis. Viruses, 12 (8) 808, 808. doi: 10.3390/v12080808
Lynch, Jason P., Werder, Rhiannon B., Curren, Bodie F., Sikder, Md. Al Amin, Ullah, Ashik, Sebina, Ismail, Rashid, Ridwan B., Zhang, Vivian, Upham, John W., Hill, Geoff R., Steptoe, Raymond J. and Phipps, Simon (2020). Long-lived regulatory T cells generated during severe bronchiolitis in infancy influence later progression to asthma. Mucosal Immunology, 13 (4), 652-664. doi: 10.1038/s41385-020-0268-8
Ullah, Md Ashik, Vicente, Cristina T., Collinson, Natasha, Curren, Bodie, Sikder, Md Al Amin, Sebina, Ismail, Simpson, Jennifer, Varelias, Antiopi, Lindquist, Jonathan A., Ferreira, Manuel A. R. and Phipps, Simon (2020). PAG1 limits allergen-induced type 2 inflammation in the murine lung. Allergy, 75 (2) all.13991, 336-345. doi: 10.1111/all.13991
Akter, Jasmin, Khoury, David S., Aogo, Rosemary, Lansink, Lianne I. M., SheelaNair, Arya, Thomas, Bryce S., Laohamonthonkul, Pawat, Pernold, Clara P. S., Dixon, Matthew W. A., Soon, Megan S. F., Fogg, Lily G., Engel, Jessica A., Elliott, Trish, Sebina, Ismail, James, Kylie R., Cromer, Deborah, Davenport, Miles P. and Haque, Ashraful (2019). Plasmodium-specific antibodies block in vivo parasite growth without clearing infected red blood cells. PLoS Pathogens, 15 (2) e1007599, e1007599. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007599
Newton, Robert, Labo, Nazzarena, Wakeham, Katie, Marshall, Vickie, Roshan, Romin, Nalwoga, Angela, Sebina, Ismail, Muhangi, Lawrence, Webb, Emily L., Miley, Wendell, Rochford, Rosemary, Elliott, Alison M. and Whitby, Denise (2018). Determinants of gammaherpesvirus shedding in saliva among Ugandan children and their mothers. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 218 (6), 892-900. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiy262
Sebina, Ismail and Haque, Ashraful (2018). Effects of type I interferons in malaria. Immunology, 155 (2), 176-185. doi: 10.1111/imm.12971
Sebina, Ismail and Pepper, Marion (2018). Humoral immune responses to infection: common mechanisms and unique strategies to combat pathogen immune evasion tactics. Current Opinion in Immunology, 51, 46-54. doi: 10.1016/j.coi.2018.02.001
James, Kylie R., Soon, Megan S. F., Sebina, Ismail, Fernandez-Ruiz, Daniel, Davey, Gayle, Liligeto, Urijah N., Nair, Arya Sheela, Fogg, Lily G., Edwards, Chelsea L., Best, Shannon E., Lansink, Lianne I. M., Schroder, Kate, Wilson, Jane A. C., Austin, Rebecca, Suhrbier, Andreas, Lane, Steven W., Hill, Geoffrey R., Engwerda, Christian R., Heath, William R. and Haque, Ashraful (2018). IFN regulatory factor 3 balances Th1 and T follicular helper immunity during nonlethal blood-stage Plasmodium infection. Journal of Immunology, 200 (4), 1443-1456. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1700782
Khoury, David S., Cromer, Deborah, Elliott, Trish, Soon, Megan S. F., Thomas, Bryce S., James, Kylie R., Best, Shannon E., Aogo, Rosemary A., Engel, Jessica A., Gartlan, Kate H., Akter, Jasmin, Sebina, Ismail, Haque, Ashraful and Davenport, Miles P. (2017). Characterising the effect of antimalarial drugs on the maturation and clearance of murine blood-stage Plasmodium parasites in vivo. International Journal for Parasitology, 47 (14), 913-922. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2017.05.009
Sebina, I., Fogg, L. G., James, K. R., Soon, M. S. F., Akter, J., Thomas, B. S., Hill, G. R., Engwerda, C. R. and Haque, A. (2017). IL-6 promotes CD4(+) T-cell and B-cell activation during Plasmodium infection. Parasite Immunology, 39 (10) e12455, e12455. doi: 10.1111/pim.12455
Khoury, David S., Cromer, Deborah, Akter, Jasmin, Sebina, Ismail, Elliott, Trish, Thomas, Bryce S., Soon, Megan S. F., James, Kylie R., Best, Shannon E., Haque, Ashraful and Davenport, Miles P. (2017). Host-mediated impairment of parasite maturation during blood-stage Plasmodium infection. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114 (29), 7701-7706. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1618939114
Lönnberg, Tapio, Svensson, Valentine, James, Kylie R., Fernandez-Ruiz, Daniel, Sebina, Ismail, Montandon, Ruddy, Soon, Megan S. F., Fogg, Lily G., Nair, Arya Sheela, Liligeto, Urijah N., Stubbington, Michael J. T., Ly, Lam-Ha, Bagger, Frederik Otzen, Zwiessele, Max, Lawrence, Neil D., Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes, Fernando, Bunn, Patrick T., Engwerda, Christian R., Heath, William R., Billker, Oliver, Stegle, Oliver, Haque, Ashraful and Teichmann, Sarah A. (2017). Single-cell RNA-seq and computational analysis using temporal mixture modeling resolves TH1/TFHfate bifurcation in malaria. Science Immunology, 2 (9) eaal2192, eaal2192. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aal2192
Sebina, Ismail, James, Kylie R., Soon, Megan S. F., Fogg, Lily G., Best, Shannon E., Labastida Rivera, Fabian de, Montes de Oca, Marcela, Amante, Fiona H., Thomas, Bryce S., Beattie, Lynette, Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes, Fernando, Smyth, Mark J., Hertzog, Paul J., Hill, Geoffrey R., Hutloff, Andreas, Engwerda, Christian R. and Haque, Ashraful (2016). IFNAR1-signalling obstructs ICOS-mediated humoral immunity during non-lethal blood-stage Plasmodium infection. PLoS Pathogens, 12 (11) e1005999, e1005999. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005999
Khoury, David S., Cromer, Deborah, Best, Shannon E., James, Kylie R., Sebina, Ismail, Haque, Ashraful and Davenport, Miles P. (2015). Reduced erythrocyte susceptibility and increased host clearance of young parasites slows Plasmodium growth in a murine model of severe malaria. Scientific Reports, 5 (9412) 9412. doi: 10.1038/srep09412
Edwards, Chelsea L., Zhang, Vivian, Werder, Rhiannon B., Best, Shannon E., Sebina, Ismail, James, Kylie R., Faleiro, Rebecca J., Rivera, Fabian de Labastida, Amante, Fiona H., Engwerda, Christian R., Phipps, Simon and Haque, Ashraful (2015). Coinfection with blood-stage plasmodium promotes systemic type I interferon production during pneumovirus infection but impairs inflammation and viral control in the lung. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 22 (5), 477-483. doi: 10.1128/CVI.00051-15
Edwards, Chelsea L., Best, Shannon E., Gun, Sin Yee, Claser, Carla, James, Kylie R., de Oca, Marcela M., Sebina, Ismail, Rivera, Fabian de Labastida, Amante, Fiona H., Hertzog, Paul J., Engwerda, Christian R., Renia, Laurent and Haque, Ashraful (2015). Spatiotemporal requirements for IRF7 in mediating type I IFN-dependent susceptibility to blood-stage Plasmodium infection. European Journal of Immunology, 45 (1), 130-141. doi: 10.1002/eji.201444824
Sebina, Ismail, Biraro, Irene A., Dockrell, Hazel M., Elliott, Alison M. and Cose, Stephen (2014). Circulating B-lymphocytes as potential biomarkers of tuberculosis infection activity. PLoS One, 9 (9) e106796, e106796. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106796
Haque, Ashraful, Best, Shannon E., De Oca, Marcela Montes, James, Kylie R., Ammerdorffer, Anne, Edwards, Chelsea L., De Labastida Rivera, Fabian, Amante, Fiona H., Bunn, Patrick T., Sheel, Meru, Sebina, Ismail, Koyama, Motoko, Varelias, Antiopi, Hertzog, Paul J., Kalinke, Ulrich, Gun, Sin Yee, Renia, Laurent, Ruedl, Christiane, MacDonald, Kelli P.A., Hill, Geoffrey R. and Engwerda, Christian R. (2014). Type I IFN signaling in CD8-DCs impairs Th1-dependent malaria immunity. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 124 (6), 2483-2496. doi: 10.1172/JCI70698
Sebina, Ismail, Cliff, Jacqueline M., Smith, Steven G., Nogaro, Sarah, Webb, Emily L., Riley, Eleanor M., Dockrell, Hazel M., Elliott, Alison M., Hafalla, Julius C. R. and Cose, Stephen (2012). Long-lived memory B-cell responses following BCG vaccination. PLoS One, 7 (12), e51381. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051381
Nkurunungi, Gyaviira, Lutangira, Jimreeves E., Lule, Swaib A., Akurut, Hellen, Kizindo, Robert, Fitchett, Joseph R., Kizito, Dennison, Sebina, Ismail, Muhangi, Lawrence, Webb, Emily L., Cose, Stephen and Elliott, Alison M. (2012). Determining Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection among BCG-immunised Ugandan children by T-SPOT.TB and tuberculin skin testing. PLoS One, 7 (10) e47340, e47340. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0047340
Wakeham, Katie, Webb, Emily L., Sebina, Ismail, Muhangi, Lawrence, Miley, Wendell, Johnson, W. Thomas, Ndibazza, Juliet, Elliott, Alison M., Whitby, Denise and Newton, Robert (2011). Parasite infection is associated with Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV) in Ugandan women. Infectious Agents and Cancer, 6 (1) 15, 15. doi: 10.1186/1750-9378-6-15
Conference Papers
Agravat, Priyesh, Loucaides, Eva M, Kumar, Meghan, Howells, Anna, García, Alexandra Molina, Sebina, Ismail, Balanza, Nuria, Fitchett, Elizabeth JA and Lawn, Joy (2023). 888 Research funding for newborn health and stillbirths: systematic analyses of levels and trends (2011–2020) with implications for impact. BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2023-rcpch.497
Wakeham, Katie, Webb, Emily L., Sebina, Ismail, Nalwoga, Angela, Muhangi, Lawrence, Miley, Wendell, Johnston, W. Thomas, Ndibazza, Juliet, Whitby, Denise, Newton, Robert and Elliott, Alison M. (2013). Risk factors for seropositivity to Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus among children in Uganda. 14th International Workshop on Kaposi's Sarcoma Herpesvirus (KSHV) and Related Agents, Helsinki, Finland, August 2011. Philadelphia, PA, United States: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0b013e31828a7056
Thesis
Sebina, Ismail (2017). Immunological mechanisms controlling blood-stage parasites in mouse models of malaria. PhD Thesis, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2017.482