Dr. Ernesto T. A. Marques, Jr., MD/PhD

Keywords: Vaccinology, Immunomics,  Molecular mechanisms of dengue immunity and pathogenicity

Research Summary. The research interest of Dr. Marques is designing novel vaccine strategies, immunotherapies, diagnostic markers and disease surveillance tools based on  human samples from well characterized cohorts. The strategy he uses is based on the development of detailed T and B cell epitopes maps and the characterization of innate immune response induced by the pathogenic agents. The laboratory apply a combination of computational technologies, high throughput immune assays in human samples. Using this information we explore patterns correlated either with immunity or pathogenicity and design novel antigen formulations containing selected epitopes, adjuvants and adequate delivery methods. Currently we are applying this strategy to study Zika, Dengue, yellow fever, HIV among other agents.  Dr, Marques is also the inventor of several vaccine and diagnostic technologies.  Some of his technologies are currently licensed by leading pharmaceutical companies.

1993 | Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil | Medical Doctor - MD
1999 | The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine  | Doctor of Philosophy - PhD

IDM - 2003 - Host Response to Microbial Infection - Course Coordinator
IDM - 2010 - Biology of Pathogens - Lecturer
IDM - 2014 - Functional Genomics of Microbial Pathogens - Lecturer
IDM - 2038 - Prevention, Treatment, and Control of Global Infectious Diseases- Lecturer

1. Adibi JJ, Marques ET, Cartus A, Beigi RH. Teratogenic effects of the Zika virus and the role of the placenta. Lancet. 2016;387(10027):1587-90. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)00650-4. PubMed PMID: 26952548.

2. Arruda LB, Sim D, Chikhlikar PR, Maciel Jr. M, Akasaki K, August JT, Marques ETA. Dendritic cell-lysosomal-associated membrane protein (LAMP) and LAMP-1-HIV-1 Gag chimeras have distinct cellular trafficking pathways and prime T and B cell responses to a diverse repertoire of epitopes. Journal of Immunology. 2006;177(4):2265-75. PubMed PMID: WOS:000239745300034.

3. Braga C, Luna CF, Martelli CMT, Souza WVD, Cordeiro MT, Alexander N, Albuquerque MDFPMD, Junior JCS, Marques ET. Seroprevalence and risk factors for dengue infection in socio-economically distinct areas of Recife, Brazil. Acta Tropica. 2010;113(3):234-40. doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2009.10.021.PubMed PMID:WOS:000275677700005.

4. Castanha PM, Braga C, Cordeiro MT, Souza AI, Silva CD, Martelli CT, van Panhuis WG, Nascimento EJ, Marques ET. Placental transfer of dengue-specific antibodies and kinetics of dengue infection enhancing-activity in Brazilian infants. J Infect Dis. 2016. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiw143. PubMed PMID: 27056951.

5. Cordeiro MT, Pena LJ, Brito CA, Gil LH, Marques ET. Positive IgM for Zika virus in the cerebrospinal fluid of 30 neonates with microcephaly in Brazil. Lancet. 2016. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30253-7. PubMed PMID: 27103126.

6. Castanha PMS, Nascimento EJM, Braga C, Cordeiro MT, de Carvalho OV, de Mendonça LR, Azevedo EAN, França RFO, Dhalia R, Marques ETA. Dengue Virus-Specific Antibodies Enhance Brazilian Zika Virus Infection. J Infect Dis. 2017 Mar 1;215(5):781-785. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiw638. PMID:28039355

7. Hazin AN, Poretti A, Cruz DD, Tenorio M, van der Linden A, Pena LJ, Brito C, Gil LH, Miranda-Filho DB, Marques ET, Martelli CM, Alves JG, Huisman TA, Group MER. Computed Tomographic Findings in Microcephaly Associated with Zika Virus. N Engl J Med. 2016. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc1603617. PubMed PMID: 27050112.

8. Cordeiro MT, Brito CA, Pena LJ, Castanha PM, Gil LH, Lopes KG, Dhalia R, Meneses JA, Ishigami AC, Mello LM, Alencar LX, Guarines KM, Rodrigues LC, Marques ET. Results of a Zika Virus (ZIKV) Immunoglobulin M-Specific Diagnostic Assay Are Highly Correlated With Detection of Neutralizing Anti-ZIKV Antibodies in Neonates With Congenital Disease. J Infect Dis. 2016 Dec 15;214(12):1897-1904. PMID: 27923950  

9. Thalia Velho Barreto Araujo, Ph.D; Laura C Rodrigues, PhD; Ricardo A Ximenes, PhD; Demócrito B Miranda-Filho, PhD; Ulisses R Montarroyos, PhD; Ana Paula L Melo, MSc; Sandra Valongueiro, PhD; Maria de Fátima P Militão de Albuquerque, PhD; Wayner V Souza, PhD; Cynthia Braga, PhD; Sinval P Brandão Filho , PhD; Enrique Vazquez, PhD; Daniele C Cruz, MD; Luciana A Bezerra, MSc; Cláudio M Pessanha Henriques, MSc; Priscila M Castanha, PhD; Marli T Cordeiro, PhD; Rafael Dhalia, PhD; Ernesto T Marques-Junior, PhD; Celina M Turchi Martelli, PhD. Microcephaly and Zika infection: Preliminary Report of a Case- Control Study. Lancet Infect Dis. 2016 Dec;16(12):1356-1363. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(16)30318-8. PMID: 27641777 

10. Marques Jr. ETA, Chikhlikar P, De Arruda LB, Leao IC, Lu Y, Wong J, Chen J-S, Byrne B, August JT. HIV-1 p55Gag encoded in the lysosome-associated membrane protein-1 as a DNA plasmid vaccine chimera is highly expressed, traffics to the major histocompatibility class II compartment, and elicits enhanced immune responses. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2003;278(39):37926-36. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M303336200. PubMed PMID: WOS:000185437200115.

11. Palma ML, Duangkhae P, Douradinha B, Viana IFT, Rigato PO, Dhalia R, Mailliard RB, Barratt-Boyes SM, Nascimento EJM, Oshiro TM, da Silva Duarte AJ, Marques ETA. Development of potent class II transactivator gene delivery systems capable of inducing de novo MHC II expression in human cells, in vitro and ex vivo. Gene Ther. 2017 Jun;24(6):342-352. doi: 10.1038/gt.2017.25. PMID: 28414303

12. Miranda-Filho DeB, Martelli CM, Ximenes RA, Araujo TV, Rocha MA, Ramos RC, Dhalia R, Franca RF, Marques Junior ET, Rodrigues LC. Initial Description of the Presumed Congenital Zika Syndrome. Am J Public Health. 2016;106(4):598-600. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303115. PubMed PMID: 26959258.

13. Jaenisch T, Rosenberger KD, Brito C, Brady O, Brasil P, Marques ET. Risk of microcephaly after Zika virus infection in Brazil, 2015 to 2016. Bull World Health Organ. 2017 Mar 1;95(3):191-198. doi: 10.2471/BLT.16.178608 PMID: 28250532

14. Nascimento EJM, Hottz ED, Garcia-Bates TM, Bozza F, Marques ETA, Jr., Barratt-Boyes SM. Emerging Concepts in Dengue Pathogenesis: Interplay between Plasmablasts, Platelets, and Complement in Triggering Vasculopathy. Critical Reviews in Immunology. 2014;34(3):227-40. PubMed PMID: WOS:000336553300004.

15. Faria NR, Quick J, Claro IM, Thézé J, de Jesus JG, Giovanetti M, Kraemer MUG, Hill SC, Black A, da Costa AC, Franco LC, Silva SP, Wu CH, Raghwani J, Cauchemez S, du Plessis L, Verotti MP, de Oliveira WK, Carmo EH, Coelho GE, Santelli ACFS, Vinhal LC, Henriques CM, Simpson JT, Loose M, Andersen KG, Grubaugh ND, Somasekar S, Chiu CY, Muñoz-Medina JE, Gonzalez-Bonilla CR, Arias CF, Lewis-Ximenez LL, Baylis SA, Chieppe AO, Aguiar SF, Fernandes CA, Lemos PS, Nascimento BLS, Monteiro HAO, Siqueira IC, de Queiroz MG, de Souza TR, Bezerra JF, Lemos MR, Pereira GF, Loudal D, Moura LC, Dhalia R, França RF, Magalhães T, Marques ET Jr, Jaenisch T, Wallau GL, de Lima MC, Nascimento V, de Cerqueira EM, de Lima MM, Mascarenhas DL, Neto JPM, Levin AS, Tozetto-Mendoza TR, Fonseca SN, Mendes-Correa MC, Milagres FP, Segurado A, Holmes EC, Rambaut A, Bedford T, Nunes MRT, Sabino EC, Alcantara LCJ, Loman NJ, Pybus OG. Establishment and cryptic transmission of Zika virus in Brazil and the Americas. Nature. 2017 Jun 15;546(7658):406-410. doi: 10.1038/nature22401.PMID: 28538727

16. Viana IFT, Soares TA, Lima LFO, Marques ETA, Krieger MA, Dhalia R, Lins RD. De novo design of immunoreactive conformation-specific HIV-1 epitopes based on Top7 scaffold. RSC Advances. 2013;3(29):11790. doi: 10.1039/c3ra41562g.