Background

Professor Pietersz is an Honorary Burnet Institute Senior Principal Fellow and for many years was Head of the Bio-Organic and Medicinal Chemistry group at Burnet. He has more than 25 years experience of work on monoclonal antibodies, drug/toxin/radionucleotide-antibody conjugates, vaccines, their characterisation and measurement of anti-tumour efficacy. He also has expertise in recombinant antibodies/fragments and knowledge of animal models of cancer and infectious disease. He has developed many novel methods for conjugating drugs to monoclonal antibodies and his group carried out the 1st Phase I/II study of an immunoconjugate.

Appointments

• Adjunct Professor at Melbourne University and Monash University

Publications (75)

2019 (1)

• Activated platelets in the tumor microenvironment for targeting of antibody-drug conjugates to tumors and metastases.
  Yap ML, McFadyen JD, Wang X, Ziegler M, Chen YC, Willcox A, Nowell CJ, Scott AM, Sloan EK, Hogarth PM, Pietersz GA, Peter K
  Theranostics. 2019 Feb; 9(4):1154-1169

2018 (3)

• Immunogenicity of a Tripartite Cell Penetrating Peptide Containing a MUC1 Variable Number of Tandem Repeat (VNTR) and A T Helper Epitope.
  Brooks N, Hsu J, Esparon S, Pouniotis D, Pietersz GA
  Molecules. 2018 Sep; 23(9)
• CD83 is a new potential biomarker and therapeutic target for Hodgkin lymphoma.
  Li Z, Ju X, Lee K, Clarke C, Hsu JL, Abadir E, Bryant CE, Pears S, Sunderland N, Heffernan S, Hennessy A, Lo TH, Pietersz GA, Kupresanin F, Fromm PD, Silveira PA, Tsonis C, Cooper WA, Cunningham I, Brown C, Clark GJ, Hart DNJ; Australia National Health and Medical Research Council Development Grant; Cancer Institute NSW Translationl Program Grant.
  Haematologica. 2018 Jan; 103(4):655-65
• Mesoscale Nanoparticles: An Unexpected Means for Selective Therapeutic Targeting of Kidney Diseases!
  Yap ML, Wang XW, Pietersz GA, Peter K
  Hypertension. 2018 Jan; 71 (1):61-63

2017 (2)

• Therapeutic targeting in nanomedicine: the future lies in recombinant antibodies.
  Pietersz GA, Wang X, Yap ML, Lim B, Peter K
  Nanomedicine. 2017 Aug; 12(15):1873-1889
• Targeting activated platelets: A unique and potentially universal approach for cancer imaging.
  Yap ML, McFadyen JD, Wang X, Zia NA, Hohmann JD, Ziegler M, Yao Y, Pham A, Harris M, Donnelly PS, Hogarth PM, Pietersz GA, Lim B, Peter K
  Theranostics. 2017 Jun; 7(10):2565-2574

2016 (2)

• MUC1 immunotherapy against a metastatic mammary adenocarcinoma model: Importance of IFN-gamma.
  Lees CJ, Smorodinsky N, Horn G, Wreschner DH, McKenzie IF, Pietersz G, Stojanovska L, Apostolopoulos V.
  Pril . 2016 Jun; 37(1):15-25
• Vaccine delivery by penetratin: mechanism of antigen presentation by dendritic cells.
  Pouniotis D, Tang CK, Apostolopoulos V, Pietersz G
  Immunol Res. 2016 May; 64(4):887-900

2015 (3)

• Factors determining the stability, size distribution, and cellular accumulation of small, monodisperse chitosan nanoparticles as candidate vectors for anticancer drug delivery: application to the passive encapsulation of [(14)C]-doxorubicin.
  Masarudin MJ, Cutts SM, Pietersz GA, Evison BJ, Phillips DR, Pigram PJ
  Nanotechnol Sci Appl. 2015 Dec; 8:67-80
• Comparative Immunogenicity of a Cytotoxic T Cell Epitope Delivered by Penetratin and TAT Cell Penetrating Peptides.
  Brooks N, Esparon S, Pouniotis D, Pietersz GA
  Molecules. 2015 Aug; 20(8):14033-14050
• Mannan adjuvants intranasally administered inactivated influenza virus in mice rendering low doses inductive of strong serum IgG and IgA in the lung.
  Proudfoot O, Esparon S, Tang CK, Laurie K, Pietersz G
  BMC Infect Dis. 2015 Feb; 15(1):101

2014 (4)

• Dendritic cell immunotherapy: clinical outcomes.
  Apostolopoulos V, Pietersz GA, Tsibanis A, Tsikkinis A, Stojanovska L, McKenzie IFC, Vassilaros S
  Clin Trans Immunhol. 2014 Jul; 3:e21
• Immune responses of linear and cyclic PLP139-151 mutant peptides in SJL/J mice: peptides in their free state versus mannan conjugation.
  Katsara M, Deraos S, Tselios TV, Pietersz G, Matsoukas J, Apostolopoulos V
  Immunother. 2014 Jun; 6(6):709-724
• A phase 2, single-arm study of an autologous dendritic cell treatment against mucin 1 in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.
  Mitchell PLR, Quinn MA, Grant PT, Allen DG, Jobling TW, White SC, Zhao A, Karanikas V, Vaughan H, Pietersz G, McKenzie IFC, Gargosky SE, Loveland BE
  J Immunother Can. 2014 May; 2:16
• Polymorphisms and Interspecies Differences of the Activating and Inhibitory FcgammaRII of Macaca nemestrina Influence the Binding of Human IgG Subclasses.
  Trist HM, Tan PS, Wines BD, Ramsland PA, Orlowski E, Stubbs J, Gardiner EE, Pietersz GA, Kent SJ, Stratov I, Burton DR, Hogarth PM
  J Immunol. 2014 Jan; 192(2):892-903

2013 (2)

• Up to 15-year clinical follow-up of a pilot Phase III immunotherapy study in stage II breast cancer patients using oxidized mannan-MUC1.
  Vassilaros S, Tsibanis A, Tsikkinis A, Pietersz GA, McKenzie IF, Apostolopoulos V
  Immunotherapy. 2013 Nov; 5(11):1177-1182
• Tetraspanin CD37 contributes to the initiation of cellular immunity by promoting dendritic cell migration.
  Gartlan KH, Wee JL, Demaria MC, Nastovska R, Chang TM, Jones EL, Apostolopoulos V, Pietersz GA, Hickey MJ, van Spriel AB, Wright MD
  Eur J Immunol. 2013 Feb; 43(5):1208-1219

2012 (1)

• Fc receptor-targeted therapies for the treatment of inflammation, cancer and beyond.
  Hogarth PM, Pietersz GA
  Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2012 Apr; 11(4):311-331

2011 (1)

• Whole protein and defined CD8(+) and CD4(+) peptides linked to penetratin targets both MHC class I and II antigen presentation pathways.
  Pouniotis DS, Esparon S, Apostolopoulos V, Pietersz GA
  Immunol Cell Biol. 2011 Mar; 89(8):904-913

2010 (3)

• A membrane penetrating multiple antigen peptide (MAP) incorporating ovalbumin CD8 epitope induces potent immune responses in mice.
  Brooks NA, Pouniotis DS, Sheng KC, Apostolopoulos V, Pietersz GA
  Biochim Biophys Acta. 2010 Dec; 1798(12):2286-2295
• Reactive oxygen species level defines two functionally distinctive stages of inflammatory dendritic cell development from mouse bone marrow.
  Sheng KC, Pietersz GA, Tang CK, Ramsland PA, Apostolopoulos V
  J Immunol. 2010 Mar; 184(6):2863-2872
• Cell-penetrating peptides: application in vaccine delivery.
  Brooks NA, Pouniotis DS, Tang CK, Apostolopoulos V, Pietersz GA
  Biochim Biophys Acta. 2010 Jan; 1805(1):25-34

2009 (3)

• Intracellular detection and immune signaling pathways of DNA vaccines.
  Tang CK, Pietersz GA
  Expert Rev Vaccines. 2009 Sep; 8(9):1161-1170
• Molecular basis of improved immunogenicity in DNA vaccination mediated by a mannan based carrier.
  Tang CK, Sheng KC, Esparon SE, Proudfoot O, Apostolopoulos V, Pietersz GA
  Biomaterials. 2009 Mar; 30(7):1389-1400
• Inhibition of destructive autoimmune arthritis in FcgammaRIIa transgenic mice by small chemical entities.
  Pietersz GA, Mottram PL, de Velde NCV, Sardjono CT, Esparon S, Ramsland PA, Moloney G, Baell JB, McCarthy TD, Matthews BR, Powell MS, Hogarth PM
  Immunol Cell Biol. 2009 Jan; 87(1):3-12

2008 (6)

• Protein/peptide and DNA vaccine delivery by targeting C-type lectin receptors.
  Tang CK, Sheng KC, Apostolopoulos V, Pietersz GA
  Expert Rev Vaccines. 2008 Sep; 7(7):1005-1018
• The adjuvanticity of a mannosylated antigen reveals TLR4 functionality essential for subset specialization and functional maturation of mouse dendritic cells.
  Sheng KC, Kalkanidis M, Pouniotis DS, Wright MD, Pietersz GA, Apostolopoulos VA
  J Immunol. 2008 Aug; 181(4):2455-2464
• Oxidized and reduced mannan mediated MUC1 DNA immunization induce effective anti-tumor responses.
  Tang CK, Sheng KC, Pouniotis D, Esparon S, Son HY, Kim CW, Pietersz GA, Apostolopoulos V
  Vaccine. 2008 Jul; 26(31):3827-3834
• Delivery of antigen using a novel mannosylated dendrimer potentiates immunogenicity in vitro and in vivo.
  Sheng KC, Kalkanidis M, Pouniotis DS, Esparon S, Tang CK, Apostolopoulos V, Pietersz GA
  Eur J Immunol. 2008 Feb; 38(2):424-436
• An FcgammaRIIa-binding peptide that mimics the interaction between FcgammaRIIa and IgG.
  Cendron AC, Wines BD, Brownlee RT, Ramsland PA, Pietersz GA, Hogarth PM
  Mol Immunol. 2008 Jan; 45(2):307-319
• Synthesis of succinimidoalkylbenzaldehyde analogues: Potential bifunctional linkers for bioconjugation
  Crosby IT, Pietersz GA, Ripper JA
  Aust J Chem. 2008 Jan; 61(2):138-143

2007 (4)

• Mannan-mediated gene delivery for cancer immunotherapy.
  Tang CK, Lodding J, Minigo G, Pouniotis DS, Plebanski M, Scholzen A, McKenzie IF, Pietersz GA, Apostolopoulos V
  Immunology. 2007 Mar; 120(3):325-335
• Enhanced immune responses to an adenovirus CEA vaccine in CD4+CD25+ regulatory T-cell inactivated mice.
  Pietersz GA
  Expert Rev Vaccines. 2007 Feb; 6(1):21-23
• Poly-L-lysine-coated nanoparticles: a potent delivery system to enhance DNA vaccine efficacy.
  Minigo G, Scholzen A, Tang CK, Hanley JC, Kalkanidis M, Pietersz GA, Apostolopoulos V, Plebanski M
  Vaccine. 2007 Jan; 25(7):1316-1327
• Receptor-mediated delivery of antigens to dendritic cells: anticancer applications.
  Proudfoot O, Apostolopoulos V, Pietersz GA
  Mol Pharm. 2007 Jan; 4(1):58-72

2006 (5)

• Structure and design of polycationic carriers for gene delivery.
  Pietersz GA, Tang CK, Apostolopoulos V
  Mini Rev Med Chem. 2006 Dec; 6(12):1285-1298
• Mannan derivatives induce phenotypic and functional maturation of mouse dendritic cells.
  Sheng KC, Pouniotis DS, Wright MD, Tang CK, Lazoura E, Pietersz GA, Apostolopoulos V
  Immunology. 2006 Jul; 118(3):372-383
• Design of peptide-based vaccines for cancer.
  Pietersz GA, Pouniotis DS, Apostolopoulos V
  Curr Med Chem. 2006 Jul; 13(14):1591-1607
• Penetratin tandemly linked to a CTL peptide induces anti-tumour T-cell responses via a cross-presentation pathway.
  Pouniotis DS, Apostolopoulos V, Pietersz GA
  Immunology. 2006 Mar; 117(3):329-339
• Mannan-MUC1-pulsed dendritic cell immunotherapy: a phase I trial in patients with adenocarcinoma.
  Loveland BE, Zhao A, White S, Gan H, Hamilton K, Xing PX, Pietersz GA, Apostolopoulos V, Vaughan H, Karanikas V, Kyriakou P, McKenzie IF, Mitchell PL
  Clin Cancer Res. 2006 Feb; 12(3 Pt 1):869-877

2005 (2)

• Synthesis and study of the electrophoretic behavior of mannan conjugates with cyclic peptide analogue of myelin basic protein using lysine-glycine linker.
  Tselios TV, Lamari FN, Karathanasopoulou I, Katsara M, Apostolopoulos V, Pietersz GA, Matsoukas JM, Karamanos NK
  Anal Biochem. 2005 Dec; 347(1):121-128
• Dendritic cells: activation and maturation--applications for cancer immunotherapy.
  Sheng KC, Pietersz GA, Wright MD, Apostolopoulos V
  Curr Med Chem. 2005 Jul; 12(15):1783-1800

2004 (2)

• Size-dependent immunogenicity: therapeutic and protective properties of nano-vaccines against tumors.
  Fifis T, Gamvrellis A, Crimeen-Irwin B, Pietersz GA, Li J, Mottram PL, McKenzie IF, Plebanski M
  J Immunol. 2004 Sep; 173(5):3148-3154
• Cripto: a novel target for antibody-based cancer immunotherapy.
  Xing PX, Hu XF, Pietersz GA, Hosick HL, McKenzie IF
  Cancer Res. 2004 Jun; 64(11):4018-4023

2003 (1)

• Aspects of cancer immunotherapy.
  McKenzie IF, Apostolopoulos V, Plebanski M, Pietersz GA, Loveland BE
  Immunol Cell Biol. 2003 Feb; 81(1):79-85

2001 (1)

• Mannan mucin-1 peptide immunization: influence of cyclophosphamide and the route of injection.
  Karanikas V, Thynne G, Mitchell P, Ong CS, Gunawardana D, Blum R, Pearson J, Lodding J, Pietersz G, Broadbent R, Tait B, McKenzie IF
  J Immunother. 2001 Mar; 24(2):172-183

2000 (3)

• Ex vivo targeting of the macrophage mannose receptor generates anti-tumor CTL responses.
  Apostolopoulos V, Barnes N, Pietersz GA, McKenzie IF
  Vaccine. 2000 Jul; 18(27):3174-3184
• Definition of MHC-restricted CTL epitopes from non-variable number of tandem repeat sequence of MUC1.
  Pietersz GA, Li W, Osinski C, Apostolopoulos V, McKenzie IF
  Vaccine. 2000 Apr; 18(19):2059-2071
• Generation of cellular immune responses to antigenic tumor peptides.
  Pietersz GA, Apostolopoulos V, McKenzie IF
  Cell Mol Life Sci. 2000 Feb; 57(2):290-310

1999 (4)

• Monoclonal antibody-directed cytotoxic therapy: potential in malignant diseases of aging.
  Panousis C, Pietersz GA
  Drugs Aging. 1999 Jul; 15(1):1-13
• Induction of humoral and cellular responses in cynomolgus monkeys immunised with mannan-human MUC1 conjugates.
  Vaughan HA, Ho DW, Karanikas VA, Ong CS, Hwang LA, Pearson JM, McKenzie IF, Pietersz GA
  Vaccine. 1999 Jun; 17(20-21):2740-2752
• Biochemical analysis and crystallisation of Fc gamma RIIa, the low affinity receptor for IgG.
  Powell MS, Barton PA, Emmanouilidis D, Wines BD, Neumann GM, Peitersz GA, Maxwell KF, Garrett TP, Hogarth PM
  Immunol Lett. 1999 May; 68(1):17-23
• MUC1 and breast cancer.
  Apostolopoulos V, Pietersz GA, McKenzie IF
  Curr Opin Mol Ther. 1999 Feb; 1(1):98-103

1998 (2)

• Affinity of antibodies to MUC1 antigens.
  Karanikas V, Patton K, Jamieson G, Pietersz G, McKenzie I.
  Tumour Biol. 1998 Jul; 19 Suppl 1:71-78
• Parameters for using mannan-MUC1 fusion protein to induce cellular immunity.
  Pietersz GA, Li W, Popovski V, Caruana JA, Apostolopoulos V, McKenzie IF
  Cancer Immunol Immunother. 1998 Feb; 45(6):321-326

1997 (5)

• Antibody and T cell responses of patients with adenocarcinoma immunized with mannan-MUC1 fusion protein.
  Karanikas V, Hwang LA, Pearson J, Ong CS, Apostolopoulos V, Vaughan H, Xing PX, Jamieson G, Pietersz G, Tait B, Broadbent R, Thynne G, McKenzie IF
  J Clin Invest. 1997 Dec; 100(11):2783-2792
• Induction of T1 (cytotoxic lymphocyte) and/or T2 (antibody) responses to a mucin-1 tumour antigen.
  Lofthouse SA, Apostolopoulos V, Pietersz GA, Li W, McKenzie IF
  Vaccine. 1997 Oct; 15(14):1586-1593
• Idarubicin-anti-CD3: a new immunoconjugate that induces alloantigen-specific tolerance in mice.
  Mottram PL, Han WR, Murray-Segal LJ, Mandel TE, Pietersz GA, McKenzie IF
  Transplantation. 1997 Sep; 64(5):684-690
• Comparison of the biological properties of two anti-mucin-1 antibodies prepared for imaging and therapy.
  Pietersz GA, Wenjun L, Krauer K, Baker T, Wreschner D, McKenzie IF
  Cancer Immunol Immunother. 1997 Aug; 44(6):323-328
• Tumour eradication with high-dose idarubicin-anti-Ly-2.1 with murine tumour necrosis factor-alpha in mice.
  Pietersz GA, Bogdanovski M, Li W
  Immunol Cell Biol. 1997 Jun; 75(3):253-258

1995 (3)

• CTL in mice immunized with human mucin 1 are MHC-restricted.
  Apostolopoulos V, Loveland BE, Pietersz GA, McKenzie IF
  J Immunol. 1995 Dec; 155(11):5089-5094
• Oxidative/reductive conjugation of mannan to antigen selects for T1 or T2 immune responses.
  Apostolopoulos V, Pietersz GA, Loveland BE, Sandrin MS, McKenzie IF
  Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995 Oct; 92(22):10128-10132
• In vitro and in vivo antitumor activity of a chimeric anti-CD19 antibody.
  Pietersz GA, Wenjun L, Sutton VR, Burgess J, McKenzie IF, Zola H, Trapani JA
  Cancer Immunol Immunother. 1995 Jul; 41(1):53-60

1994 (5)

• Chimeric (mouse/human) anti-colon cancer antibody c30.6 inhibits the growth of human colorectal cancer xenografts in scid/scid mice.
  Mount PF, Sutton VR, Li W, Burgess J, McKEnzie IF, Pietersz GA, Trapani JA
  Cancer Res. 1994 Dec; 54(23):6160-6166
• Reduction in the toxicity of aminopterin--monoclonal-antibody conjugates by leucovorin.
  Rowland AJ, Pietersz GA
  Cancer Immunol Immunother. 1994 Aug; 39(2):135-139
• Chemoimmunoconjugates for the treatment of cancer.
  Pietersz GA, Rowland A, Smyth MJ, McKenzie IF
  Adv Immunol. 1994 Jul; 56:301-387
• Antibody-targeted drugs for the therapy of cancer.
  Pietersz GA, Krauer K.
  J Drug Target. 1994 May; 2(3):183-215
• Enhanced antitumour effects using a combination of two antibodies conjugated to different drugs.
  Rowland AJ, Mckenzie IF, Pietersz GA
  J Drug Target. 1994 Mar; 2(2):113-121

1993 (4)

• Prolonged survival of mouse cardiac allografts after CD4 or CD8 monoclonal antibody therapy is associated with selective intragraft cytokine protein expression: interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-10 but not IL-2 or interferon-gamma.
  Hancock W, Mottram PL, Purcell LJ, Han WR, Pietersz GA, McKenzie IF
  Transplant Proc. 1993 Oct; 25(5):2937-2938
• Preclinical investigation of the antitumour effects of anti-CD19-idarubicin immunoconjugates.
  Rowland AJ, Pietersz GA, McKenzie IF
  Cancer Immunol Immunother. 1993 Aug; 37(3):195-202
• The comparative effects of IL-1 and TNF on AMN-anti-Ly 2.1 immunoconjugate therapy.
  Krauer KG, Pietersz GA
  Biotherapy. 1993 Apr; 6(2):139-147
• Evidence that an anthracycline-anti-CD8 immunoconjugate, idarubicin-anti-Ly-2.1, prolongs heart allograft survival in mice.
  Mottram PL, Pietersz GA, Smyth MJ, Purcell LJ, Clunie GJ, McKenzie IF
  Transplantation. 1993 Mar; 55(3):484-490

1992 (3)

• Antibody conjugates for the treatment of cancer.
  Pietersz GA, McKenzie IF
  Immunol Rev. 1992 Oct; 129:57-80
• Monoclonal antibodies - Use in imaging and therapy of cancer.
  McKenzie IF, Pietersz GA
  Int J Gynecol Cancer. 1992 Jul; 2:19-25
• Antitumor effect of 2'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine conjugates against a murine thymoma and colon carcinoma xenografts.
  Krauer KG, McKenzie IF, Pietersz GA
  Cancer Res. 1992 Jan; 52(1):132-137

News Articles (5)

2013 (1)

• Congratulations to Burnet's NHMRC grant recipients

2012 (3)

• Appeal - just $50,000 from reaching our target
• Burnet awarded NHMRC grant for Hendra virus research
• Dendritic Cells: new optimism for cancer vaccines?

2011 (1)

• Burnet staff and donors recognised at Excellence Awards