Lynda Coughlan, PhD

BSc Microbiology, University College Cork, Ireland, 2003

MS Virology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK, 2005

PhD Viral Gene Therapy, Barts Cancer Institute, London, UK, 2009

Postdoctoral Training, University of Glasgow, UK, 2009-2012

Postdoctoral Training, University of Oxford, UK, 2012-2017

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA, 2017-2018

Research Track Faculty, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA, 2018-2020

The Coughlan laboratory is interested in the development of novel vaccines and therapeutics against respiratory viral pathogens, including influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and coronaviruses. We are focused on engineering next-generation, non-replicating adenoviral (Ad) vectors with low seroprevalence in humans as plug and play platforms to elicit broadly cross-protective immune responses against our chosen disease targets. Our research focuses on immunogen design, the use of innovative molecular/genetic adjuvanting approaches for incorporation into Ad vaccines, and in identifying correlates of broad protection by comparing different vaccine platforms head-to-head in animal models. Our research approaches span the production of recombinant proteins as vaccine immunogens/or for serology studies, the production and characterisation of therapeutic antibodies, the investigation of extracellular vesicles for their potential in enhancing vaccine immunogenicity, and in the genetic engineering of optimised Ad vaccine platforms, to identify the most promising vectors. 

Adenoviral vectors, vaccines, influenza virus, therapeutic antibodies, RSV, coronavirus, universal vaccines, immunology

Bliss CM, Nachbagauer R, Mariottini C, Cuevas F, Feser J, Naficy A, Bernstein DI, Walter EB, Berlanda-Scorza F, Innis BL, García-Sastre A, Palese P, Krammer F & Coughlan L. (2024). A chimeric hemagglutinin-based universal influenza virus vaccine approach boosts human cellular immune responses directed towards the conserved hemagglutinin stalk domain and viral nucleoprotein. eBiomedicine 1016/j.ebiom.2024.105153. PMID: 38805853.

Coughlan L and Neuzil KM (2024). Outpacing antiviral resistance – new treatments for influenza virus infection. Lancet Infectious Diseases. INVITED COMMENTARY. May;24(5):447-449. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(23)00820-4. PMID:

Coughlan L, Kremer EJ, Shayakhmetov DM. (2022). Adenovirus-based vaccines – a platform for pandemic preparedness against emerging viral pathogens. Molecular Therapy. Jan 27; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe. 2022.01.034. PMID: 35092844.

Bliss CM, Freyn AA, Leyva-Grado V, Caniels TG, Nachbagauer R, Sun W, Krammer F, Tan GS, McMahon M, Hill AVS, Palese P, Coughlan L*. (2022). A single-shot adenoviral vaccine provides hemagglutinin stalk-mediated protection against heterosubtypic influenza challenge in mice. Molecular Therapy. Jan 6:S1525-0016(22)00011-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.01.011. PMID: 34999208.

Coughlan L (2021). Caught in a trap: how pre-clinical studies in laboratory mice exaggerate vaccine responses. Cell Reports Medicine. doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm. 2021.100484. Dec 21;12(2):100484. PMID: 35028623.

Guthmiller JJ†, Han J†, Utset HA, Li L, Yu-Ling Lan L, Henry C, Stamper CT, Fernández-Quintero ML, Freyn AW, Amanat F, Stovicek O, Gentles L, Richey ST, de la Torrents Peña A, Rosado V, Dugan HL, Zheng N-Y, Tepora ME, Bitar DJ, Changrob S, Strohmeier S, Huang M, García-Sastre A, Liedl KR, Bloom JD, Nachbagauer R, Palese P, Krammer F, Coughlan L, Ward AB‡, Wilson PC‡. (2021). Broadly neutralizing antibodies target a hemagglutinin anchor epitope. Nature. Dec 23. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-04356-8. PMID: 34942633.

Lucas J. Kerstetter, Stephen Buckley, Carly M. Bliss & Lynda Coughlan. (2021). Adenoviral vectors as vaccines for emerging avian influenza viruses. Frontiers in Immunology. Jan 29;11:607333. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.607333. PMID: 33633727.

Raveen Rathnasinghe, Shirin Strohmeier, Fatima Amanat, Virginia L Gillespie, Florian Krammer, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Lynda Coughlan, Michael Schotsaert, Melissa Uccellini. (2020). Comparison of Transgenic and Adenovirus hACE2 Mouse Models for SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Emerging Microbes and Infections. Dec;9(1):2433-2445. PMID: 33073694. 

Coughlan, L. (2020). Snatching the crown from SARS-CoV-2. Cell Host & Microbe. Sep 9;28(3):360-363. PMID: 32910919. 

Coughlan, L. Factors which contribute to the immunogenicity of non-replicating adenoviral vectored vaccines. (2020). Frontiers in Immunology. May 19;11:909. PMID: 32508823. 

Bliss CM, Parsons AJ, Nachbagauer R, Hamilton J, Cappuccini F, Ulaszewska M, Webber JP, Clayton A, Hill AV and Coughlan L. (2019). Targeting antigen to extracellular vesicles improves the in vivo immunogenicity of human and non-human adenoviral vectored vaccines. Molecular Therapy: Methods and Clinical Development. Dec 24;16:108-125. PMID: 31934599. 

Coughlan, L and Palese, P. (2018). Overcoming barriers in the path to a universal influenza virus vaccine. Cell Host and Microbe. Jul 11;24(1):18-24. PMID: 30001520.

Coughlan, L, Sridhar S, Payne R, Edmans M, Milicic A, Venkatraman N, Lugonja B, Clifton L, Qi C, McMichael A, Folegatti PM, Lawrie A, Roberts R, De Graaf H, Sukhtankar P, Faust S, Lewis D, Lambe T, Hill AV & Gilbert, S. (2018). Heterologous two-dose vaccination with simian adenovirus and poxvirus vectors elicits long-lasting cellular immunity to influenza virus A in healthy adults. EBioMedicine. Volume 29, March, Pages 146-154. PMID:29519670.