Gwinn, William M., Shaun M. Kirwan, Sheena H. Wang, Kathleen A. Ashcraft, Neil L. Sparks, Catherine R. Doil, Tom G. Tlusty, et al. “Effective induction of protective systemic immunity with nasally administered vaccines adjuvanted with IL-1.” Vaccine 28, no. 42 (October 4, 2010): 6901–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2010.08.006.
Herman Ford Staats, PhD

Areas of Research Interest:
Our laboratory studies methods to induce and regulate antigen-specific immune responses at the mucosal surfaces of the host. The mucosal tissues and surfaces are often the first site of contact with infectious agents, a common location of life-threatening cancers and in constant contact with environmental antigens. A better understanding of factors that control the induction and regulation of mucosal immune responses may aid the development of vaccines and treatments for infectious agents such as HIV and agents of bioterrorism, cancers and environmental allergies.
Research interests in the Staats’ lab currently focus on:
1. DISCOVERING AND DEVELOPING NOVEL MUCOSAL ADJUVANTS AND THEIR MECHANISM OF ACTION
Adjuvants are substances commonly added to vaccines that enhance the induction of protective immune responses to the vaccine antigen. We have been successful at identifying substances with mucosal adjuvant activity such as the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 1α/β (IL-1α/β). IL-1α/β provides effective nasal adjuvant activity in mice, rabbits and non-human primates. Recent studies performed in collaboration with Dr. Soman Abraham have determined that the chemical mast cell activator compound 48/80 provides effective nasal adjuvant activity in mice and rabbits. Recent funding in the laboratory supported the discovery of small molecule mast cell activators with vaccine adjuvant activity. Current funding in the laboratory supports the discovery of IL-1 receptor agonists (small molecules, peptides, aptamers) that exhibit vaccine adjuvant activity.
2. OPTIMIZING NASAL IMMUNIZATION TO MAXIMIZE VACCINE IMMUNOGENICITY
Nasal immunization studies in mice have demonstrated the ability of nasal immunization to induce protective immune responses equal to those induced by a vaccine delivered with a needle. However, when nasal immunization is performed in rabbits or non-human primates, animals with a nasal cavity structure/anatomy that closely resembles the human nasal cavity, nasal immunization is often not as effective as immunization delivered with a needle. Studies in our lab have demonstrated that an increased nasal residence time in rabbits correlates with increased vaccine immunogenicity. Studies are being performed to develop vaccine delivery techniques and vaccine formulations that maximize nasal residence time and therefore, the immunogenicity of the vaccine. Nasal immunization studies performed in rabbits and non-human primates are performed to optimize nasal vaccine methods that may be tested in humans in the future.
3. EVALUATING FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE INDUCTION OF FOOD ALLERGY AND DEVELOPING NOVEL MUCOSAL TREATMENTS FOR FOOD ALLERGY
The number of individuals with food allergy in steadily increasing in developed countries. The administration of food allergens via mucosal routes, a procedure known as “mucosal immunotherapy”, has provided encouraging results suggesting that mucosal immunotherapy is able to modify the host anti-food allergen response to reduce the severity of allergic responses. A recent avenue of research in the laboratory is to 1) develop novel mucosal immunotherapy formulations to treat existing food allergy and 2) evaluate the influence of environmental factors on the induction and severity of food allergies.
Education and Training
- Assistant Research Professor, Medicine, Duke University, 1996 - 2003
- Research Associate, Medicine, Duke University, 1995 - 1996
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Medicine, Duke University, 1993 - 1995
- Ph.D., University of South Alabama, 1992
Selected Grants and Awards
- Basic Immunology Training Program
- Utilizing intranasal immunization to induce a cytotoxic T lymphocyte response and reduce metastatic burden in the lung
- Quantitative Methods for HIV/AIDS Research
- Duke KURe Program
- Duke CTSA (TL1)
- Rational Design of Transferrin Binding Protein-based Vaccines to Combat Gonorrhea
- Vaccine Adjuvant Discovery Program
- CIVICS Component A - Option 1
- Research Training in Allergy and Clinical Immunology
- Developing a SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccine for nasal immunization
- Design and Engineering of VesiVax HIV Immunogen Formulations
- Evaluation of Conjugated VesiVax Formulations for HIV Vaccines
- Evaluation of VesiVax Adjuvant Formulations for HIV Vaccines
- Immunotherapy to combat skin infections
- Gonorrhea Vaccine Cooperative Research Center (GV-CRC); Core C: Host Response Monitoring
- Adjuvant Discovery Program (Option #3)
- Self-replicating RNA Vaccine for HIV-1 Delivered using a Nanoparticle Adjuvant Formulation
- Novel Adjuvants and Carriers for Opiod Vaccines
- Transmission electron microscope (TEM)
- Organization and Function of Cellular Structure
- Core C: Monitoring Host Response
- Adjuvant Discovery Program (Option #2)
- Development of a Peanut Allergy Immunotherapy
- Rational design of transferrin binding protein-based vaccines to combat gonorrhea
- Pregnant rabbits as a model to evaluate the causative role of ZIKV infection in the etiology of congenital malformations
- Selection of a VesiVax vaccine for West Nile Virus
- Understanding the Mechanism of Mucosal Immunotherapy
- Serial Block Face Scanning Electron Microscope
- Overcoming Immunosenescence by Nanoparticle-Mediated Activation
- Adjuvant Discovery Program (Option #1)
- Innate immune adaptations of hibernation as a new approach to protection against acute organ injury
- Mucosal vaccination to protect against HIV-1 infection at mucosal sites
- Adjuvant Discovery Program
- Study protocol 8. TrichGuard and TrichGuard V5L LCM project (Option B)
- Development of VesiVax Carbohydrate Conjugation Chemistry
- Evaluation of the nasal adjuvant activity of angiotensin peptide Ang-(1-7)
- Overcoming Immunosenescence by Nanoparticle-Mediated Activation
- Core C: Immunology
- Development of Efficacious and Stable Nasal Vaccine Formulations
- Sublingual Immunotherapy for Peanut Allergy
- Nasal adjuvant to enhance anti-cocaine vaccines
- Enterotoxin targeting and delivery mechanisms
- Understanding the Mechanism of Mucosal Immunotherapy
- Development of Efficacious Vaccine Against UTI's
- Nasal Vaccines: Mode of Action, Composition & Delivery
- Small cationic antimicrobial peptides: activators of innate & adaptive immunity
- Alternative Endpoints for Plague Challenge Models
- Novel Oral Adjuvant for Dental Vaccines
- Mast Cell Activator as Adjuvant for Biodefense Vaccines
- A Universal Env Immunogen for all HIV-1 Subtypes
- NCRR FACSAria Cell Sorter
- Detection of in vivo ETEC vesicle production
- Immunogenicity of an HIV virus-like particle vaccine
- Epitope specificity of vaccine-induced anti-HIV IgG and IgA
- Aids Research
Selected Publications
Clapp, Beata, Sarah Golden, Massimo Maddaloni, Herman F. Staats, and David W. Pascual. “Adenovirus F protein as a delivery vehicle for botulinum B.” Bmc Immunol 11 (July 7, 2010): 36. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2172-11-36.
Staats, Herman F., and Kam W. Leong. “Polymer hydrogels: Chaperoning vaccines.” Nat Mater 9, no. 7 (July 2010): 537–38. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2788.
Staats, Herman F., Shaun M. Kirwan, Carol C. Whisnant, James L. Stephenson, Diane K. Wagener, and Partha P. Majumder. “Development of a bead immunoassay to measure Vi polysaccharide-specific serum IgG after vaccination with the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi Vi polysaccharide.” Clin Vaccine Immunol 17, no. 3 (March 2010): 412–19. https://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00354-09.
Kunder, Christian A., Ashley L. St John, Guojie Li, Kam W. Leong, Brent Berwin, Herman F. Staats, and Soman N. Abraham. “Mast cell-derived particles deliver peripheral signals to remote lymph nodes.” J Exp Med 206, no. 11 (October 26, 2009): 2455–67. https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20090805.
Shelburne, Christopher P., Hideki Nakano, Ashley L. St John, Cheryl Chan, James B. McLachlan, Michael D. Gunn, Herman F. Staats, and Soman N. Abraham. “Mast cells augment adaptive immunity by orchestrating dendritic cell trafficking through infected tissues.” Cell Host Microbe 6, no. 4 (October 22, 2009): 331–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2009.09.004.
McGowen, Afton L., Laura P. Hale, Christopher P. Shelburne, Soman N. Abraham, and Herman F. Staats. “The mast cell activator compound 48/80 is safe and effective when used as an adjuvant for intradermal immunization with Bacillus anthracis protective antigen.” Vaccine 27, no. 27 (June 2, 2009): 3544–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.03.069.
Thompson, Joseph M., Alan C. Whitmore, Herman F. Staats, and Robert Johnston. “The contribution of type I interferon signaling to immunity induced by alphavirus replicon vaccines.” Vaccine 26, no. 39 (September 15, 2008): 4998–5003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2008.07.011.
Thompson, Joseph M., Alan C. Whitmore, Herman F. Staats, and Robert E. Johnston. “Alphavirus replicon particles acting as adjuvants promote CD8+ T cell responses to co-delivered antigen.” Vaccine 26, no. 33 (August 5, 2008): 4267–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2008.05.046.
Thompson, Joseph M., Michael G. Nicholson, Alan C. Whitmore, Melodie Zamora, Ande West, Akiko Iwasaki, Herman F. Staats, and Robert E. Johnston. “Nonmucosal alphavirus vaccination stimulates a mucosal inductive environment in the peripheral draining lymph node.” J Immunol 181, no. 1 (July 1, 2008): 574–85. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.181.1.574.
McLachlan, James B., Christopher P. Shelburne, Justin P. Hart, Salvatore V. Pizzo, Rajen Goyal, Rhea Brooking-Dixon, Herman F. Staats, and Soman N. Abraham. “Mast cell activators: a new class of highly effective vaccine adjuvants.” Nat Med 14, no. 5 (May 2008): 536–41. https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1757.
Staats, Herman F., S Munir Alam, Richard M. Scearce, Shaun M. Kirwan, Julia Xianzhi Zhang, William M. Gwinn, and Barton F. Haynes. “In vitro and in vivo characterization of anthrax anti-protective antigen and anti-lethal factor monoclonal antibodies after passive transfer in a mouse lethal toxin challenge model to define correlates of immunity.” Infect Immun 75, no. 11 (November 2007): 5443–52. https://doi.org/10.1128/IAI.00529-07.
Garmise, Robert J., Herman F. Staats, and Anthony J. Hickey. “Novel dry powder preparations of whole inactivated influenza virus for nasal vaccination.” Aaps Pharmscitech 8, no. 4 (October 12, 2007): E81. https://doi.org/10.1208/pt0804081.
Fujihashi, Kohtaro, Herman F. Staats, Shunji Kozaki, and David W. Pascual. “Mucosal vaccine development for botulinum intoxication.” Expert Rev Vaccines 6, no. 1 (February 2007): 35–45. https://doi.org/10.1586/14760584.6.1.35.
Yu, Jae-Sung, James W. Peacock, Stacie Vanleeuwen, Tsungda Hsu, William R. Jacobs, Mark J. Cayabyab, Norman L. Letvin, et al. “Generation of mucosal anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 T-cell responses by recombinant Mycobacterium smegmatis.” Clin Vaccine Immunol 13, no. 11 (November 2006): 1204–11. https://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00195-06.