Associate Professor in Residence, Physiology & Biophysics
School of Medicine

vaccines, adjuvants, influenza virus, SARS-CoV-2, poxviruses, immunogenicity, antigen discovery, preclinical challenge models

Vaccine Research & Development Center

Texas A&M University, Post Doctoral: 1984-1988
Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Post Doctoral : 1988-1991
King’s College London, Lecturer: 1991-1998
King’s College London, Senior Lecturer: 1998-2003
University of California Irvine, Visiting Scientist (sabbatical): 2003-2004
University of California Irvine, Associate Project Scientist: 2004-2011
University of California Irvine, Project Scientist: 2011-2019

The main activity in the lab is to improve influenza vaccines. Current seasonal flu vaccines are poorly immunogenic and only work if the vaccine strains are closely matched against strains in circulation. The formulation has to be adjusted each season to cope with antigenic drift. We are exploring ways to increase the breadth and magnitude of the immune response to recombinant hemagglutinin using multivalent formulations, nanoparticle delivery vehicles, combination adjuvants (mixtures of TLR agonists) and emulsions. Techniques we use are serological profiling by protein microarrays, cytokine profiling in T cell recall assays, in vitro neutralization assays, and efficacy studies in vivo in the mouse model. Similar approaches are being used for the development broadly reactive vaccines against different ebola virus glycoproteins.

I am an immunologist with a special interest in vaccine development. I earned my Ph.D. at University College London (UCL), where, after a brief post-doc at Texas A&M Entomology Dept., I returned to develop HPV vaccines in the ICRF Human Tumour Immunology Group. I joined the faculty at King’s College London in 1991 where I taught immunology and continued research into HPV vaccines. I came to UCI on sabbatical in 2003, where I helped develop a proteome microarray platform using vaccinia virus as the model pathogen. My main focus at the moment is the development of non-reactogenic alternative vaccines against Q fever, methods for engendering broadly reactive vaccines using single-dose nanoparticle-based strategies, and molecular mechanisms of combination adjuvants.

For an up-to-date list of my publications from PubMed, please click here.

Full peer-review activity can be reviewed on Publons here.

Davies, D. H. (Felgner, P. L., corresponding PI) NIH/NIAID contract BAA-DAIT-75N93020R00022 “Adjuvant Comparison and Characterization (ACC)” 09/1/2022 to 08/31/2027. “Characterization of novel and existing adjuvants using model antigens” Davies Project, Adjuvant Set 1: $1,201,553 (total); Adjuvant Set 2: $782,492 (total). Role: PI of Influenza challenge project.

Davies, DH (PI) NIH/NIAID (U01 AI160397) 03/05/2021-02-28-2025 "Defining molecular mechanisms of combination adjuvants: a systems immunology, transcriptomics and imaging approach" Role: Principal-Investigator

Wellcome Leap HOPE initiative Wagar, L (PI) 2021-2024 "Predicting immunogenicity using human tonsil organoids" Role: Co-Principal-Investigator

Davies, D. H. (PI) 09/01/2018-08/31/2023 DTRA (Defense Threat Reduction Agency) HDTRA1-18-1-0036. “Sequential release of influenza hemagglutinin variants using liposomes and polymers with programmable release kinetics”. Role: Principal-Investigator

Vaccine Research & Development Center - click here.

Institute for Immunology - click here.

Center for Virus Research - click here.

Link to this profile
https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=6756

Last updated
09/29/2025