• Primary Faculty Profiles
• Bankert, Richard, Ph.D., V.M.D., Professor
• Bianco, Piero, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Campagnari, Anthony, Ph.D., Professor
• Collins, Arlene, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Connell, Terry, Ph.D., Professor
• Egilmez, Nejat, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Hakansson, Anders, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
• Hay, John, Ph.D., Professor
• Jacobs, Amy, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
• Melendy, Thomas, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Panepinto, John, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
• Read, Laurie, Ph.D., Professor
• Russell, Michael, Ph.D., Professor
• Ruyechan, William, Ph.D., Professor and Chairman
• Thacore, Harshad, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Williams, Noreen, Ph.D., Professor
• Adjunct Faculty Profiles
• Departmental Publications
• Career Opportunities
• The Witebsky Center
• Seminars

Faculty and Research

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Education:

1978, Postdoc, Guy's Hospital Medical and Dental Schools, London, England
1973, Ph.D., Reading University, England
1970, M.A., Cambridge University, England
1966, Bachelor of Arts, Cambridge University, England

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Research Interests:

Mucosal Immunology – secretory and circulating IgA antibodies, mucosal immune response against bacterial infections, novel approaches to mucosal vaccine development, inflammatory/immune responses to neisserial (gonococcal) infections

I have a long-standing interest in the biological functions of IgA antibodies, both in the circulation and on mucosal surfaces, and the generation of mucosal antibody responses especially against bacterial infections of the mouth, genital, and respiratory tracts.  We demonstrated that IgA antibodies are essentially anti-inflammatory by interfering with complement activation, and consequently hypothesize that circulating IgA ameliorates collateral damage to tissues arising from the activities of antibody-mediated defense mechanisms. 

We developed a genetic strategy for coupling protein antigen segments to the exceptionally immunogenic but non-toxic B subunit of cholera toxin (CTB) to make chimeric mucosal immunogens.  We showed that intranasal immunization is particularly effective at generating responses in the upper aero-digestive and genital tracts.  Of current interest is the location and type of antigen-presenting cells targeted by mucosal administration of these immunogens, and the mechanisms by which they elicit mucosal immune responses.  We are using state-of-the-art imaging technology to examine this.  We collaborate with Dr. Terry Connell in investigating the immunomodulatory properties of bacterial enterotoxins which have mucosal adjuvant activity.  Potential applications include the development of vaccines against oral, genital, and respiratory infections.

We have recently determined that the newly described “Th17 axis of immunity” has a role in the response to gonococcal infection, which may explain some hitherto puzzling features of the immune response to human gonorrhea and the lack of protective immunity against this common infection.  This is being investigated in mouse models, and in the human disease. 

Further information is available on the Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology website: http://www.smbs.buffalo.edu/wcmpi/faculty/russell.html

Relevant references:

Arce, S., Nawar, H.F., Muehlinghaus, G., Russell, M.W., and Connell, T.D.  In vitro induction of IgA- and IgM-secreting plasma blasts by cholera toxin depends upon T cell help and is mediated by CD154 up-regulation and inhibition of IFN-g synthesis.  Infect. Immun. 75: 1413-1423 (2007).

Liang, S., Wang, M., Triantafilou, K., Triantafilou, M., Nawar, H.F., Russell, M.W., Connell T.D., and Hajishengallis, G.  The A subunit of type IIb enterotoxin (LT-IIb) suppresses the proinflammatory potential of the B subunit and its ability to recruit and interact with TLR2.  J. Immunol. 178: 4811-4819 (2007).

Price, G.A., Masri, H.P., Russell, M.W., and Cornelissen, C.N.  Gonococcal transferrin binding protein chimeras induce bactericidal and growth inhibitory antibodies in mice. Vaccine 25: 7247-7260 (2007).

Russell, M.W.  Biological functions of IgA, Chapter 6, pp 144-172.  In Mucosal Immune Defense: Immunoglobulin A (Ed. Kaetzel, C.S.), Springer, New York (2007).

Hajishengallis, G., and Russell, M.W.  Molecular approaches to vaccination against oral infections, Chapter 11, pp 257-285.  In Molecular Oral Microbiology (Ed. Rogers, A.H.), Caister Academic Press, Norfolk, U.K. (2008).

Brandtzaeg, P., Kiyono, H., Pabst, R., and Russell, M.W.  Terminology: Nomenclature of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue.  Mucosal Immunol. 1: 31-37 (2008).