Dr Helen Mostafavi

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Institute for Molecular Bioscience

h.mostafavi@uq.edu.au

Researcher biography

Helen’s interest in immune cell interactions across the tissue landscape started during her Master’s and PhD with Dr. Ali Zaid at the Menzies Health Institute, Griffith University. Her PhD focused on defining the role of Interleukin-17 in virus-induced arthritis and exploring immunomodulation as a means of dampening synovial inflammation and damage. There, she was able to specialise in 3D imaging on optically-cleared tissues and high-dimensional flow cytometry. Helen received her PhD in 2022, before immediately starting a Postdoc position under Dr. Emma Gordon and Dr. Larisa Labzin at the Institute for Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland. Her current research focuses on vascular complications in acute and long COVID-19. Specifically, Helen is developing a novel triple-culture model under air-liquid interface to investigate endothelial dysfunction and explore potential therapeutics in COVID-19.

Publications

Journal Articles (11)

Journal Articles

Rao, Shambhavi, Abeyratne, Eranga, Freitas, Joseph R., Yang, Chenying, Tharmarajah, Kothila, Mostafavi, Helen, Liu, Xiang, Zaman, Mehfuz, Mahalingam, Suresh, Zaid, Ali and Taylor, Adam (2023). A booster regime of liposome-delivered live-attenuated CHIKV vaccine RNA genome protects against chikungunya virus disease in mice. Vaccine, 41 (27), 3976-3988. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.05.032

Labzin, Larisa I., Chew, Keng Yih, Eschke, Kathrin, Wang, Xiaohui, Esposito, Tyron, Stocks, Claudia J., Rae, James, Patrick, Ralph, Mostafavi, Helen, Hill, Brittany, Yordanov, Teodor E., Holley, Caroline L., Emming, Stefan, Fritzlar, Svenja, Mordant, Francesca L., Steinfort, Daniel P., Subbarao, Kanta, Nefzger, Christian M., Lagendijk, Anne K., Gordon, Emma J., Parton, Robert G., Short, Kirsty R., Londrigan, Sarah L. and Schroder, Kate (2023). Macrophage ACE2 is necessary for SARS-CoV-2 replication and subsequent cytokine responses that restrict continued virion release. Science Signaling, 16 (782) eabq1366, eabq1366. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.abq1366

Krishnan, Ravi, Stapledon, Catherine J. M., Mostafavi, Helen, Freitas, Joseph R., Liu, Xiang, Mahalingam, Suresh and Zaid, Ali (2023). Anti-inflammatory actions of Pentosan polysulfate sodium in a mouse model of influenza virus A/PR8/34-induced pulmonary inflammation. Frontiers in Immunology, 14 1030879. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1030879

Tharmarajah, Kothila, Everest-Dass, Arun, Vider, Jelena, Liu, Xiang, Freitas, Joseph R., Mostafavi, Helen, Bettadapura, Jayaram, von Itzstein, Mark, West, Nicholas P., Taylor, Adam, Mahalingam, Suresh and Zaid, Ali (2022). N-linked glycans shape skin immune responses during arthritis and myositis after intradermal infection with Ross River Virus. Journal of Virology, 96 (17), 1-26. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00999-22

Liu, Xiang, Mostafavi, Helen, Ng, Wern Hann, Freitas, Joseph R., King, Nicholas J. C., Zaid, Ali, Taylor, Adam and Mahalingam, Suresh (2022). The Delta SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern induces distinct pathogenic patterns of respiratory disease in K18-hACE2 transgenic mice compared to the ancestral strain from Wuhan. mBio, 13 (3) e0068322, 1-16. doi: 10.1128/mbio.00683-22

Liu, Xiang, Poo, Yee-Suan, Alves, Juliana C., Almeida, Roque P., Mostafavi, Helen, Tang, Patrick Chun Hean, Bucala, Richard, Teixeira, Mauro M., Taylor, Adam, Zaid, Ali and Mahalingam, Suresh (2022). Interleukin-17 contributes to Chikungunya virus-induced disease. mBio, 13 (2) ARTN e00289-22. doi: 10.1128/mbio.00289-22

Mostafavi, Helen, Tharmarajah, Kothila, Vider, Jelena, West, Nicholas P., Freitas, Joseph R., Cameron, Barbara, Foster, Paul S., Hueston, Linda P., Lloyd, Andrew R., Mahalingam, Suresh and Zaid, Ali (2022). Interleukin-17 contributes to Ross River virus-induced arthritis and myositis. PLoS Pathogens, 18 (2) e1010185, e1010185. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010185

Abeyratne, Eranga, Tharmarajah, Kothila, Freitas, Joseph R, Mostafavi, Helen, Mahalingam, Suresh, Zaid, Ali, Zaman, Mehfuz and Taylor, Adam (2020). Liposomal delivery of the RNA genome of a live-attenuated chikungunya virus vaccine candidate provides local, but not systemic protection after one dose. Frontiers in immunology, 11 304. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00304

Zaid, Ali, Tharmarajah, Kothila, Mostafavi, Helen, Freitas, Joseph R., Sheng, Kuo-Ching, Foo, Suan-Sin, Chen, Weiqiang, Vider, Jelena, Liu, Xiang, West, Nicholas P., Herrero, Lara J., Taylor, Adam, Mackay, Laura K., Getts, Daniel R., King, Nicholas J. C. and Mahalingam, Suresh (2020). Modulation of monocyte-driven myositis in alphavirus infection reveals a role for CX3CR1+ macrophages in tissue repair. mBio, 11 (2) e03353-19. doi: 10.1128/mBio.03353-19

Mostafavi, Helen, Abeyratne, Eranga, Zaid, Ali and Taylor, Adam (2019). Arthritogenic alphavirus-induced immunopathology and targeting host inflammation as a therapeutic strategy for alphaviral disease. Viruses, 11 (3), 290. doi: 10.3390/v11030290

Zaid, Ali, Gérardin, Patrick, Taylor, Adam, Mostafavi, Helen, Malvy, Denis and Mahalingam, Suresh (2018). Chikungunya arthritis: implications of acute and chronic inflammation mechanisms on disease management. Arthritis and Rheumatology, 70 (4), 484-495. doi: 10.1002/art.40403