Dr Chris Andoniou

Dr Chris Andoniou received his PhD from the University of Western Australia and completed his postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School (USA) before returning to Australia to join the Experimental Immunology team in 2000. He is a Senior Research Fellow and a key member of the Experimental Immunology team, sharing his time between the Lions Eye Institute and the Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University.

His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms that drive disease development, with particular emphasis on immunity to cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection including its relevance to eye health and vision-related disease. His work contributed to understanding how protective immunity can also lead to inflammation and tissue damage, with implications for infectious disease, immunology and ophthalmic conditions. Dr Andoniou has contributed to several seminal discoveries in those fields with works published in leading peer-reviewed journals including Nature and Science.

Dr Andoniou excellence in research has been recognised by prestigious awards, including the 2019 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Scientific Research, the Monash BDI Director’s Highly Commended Publication Award (2019) and the John Forrester Senior Research Fellowship (2017-2019) at the Lions Eye Institute.

Education/academic qualifications/roles responsibilities

Bachelor of Science with Honours (First Class), The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia
PhD, Department of Pathology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia

Awards/Professional achievements

Winner 2019 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Scientific Research
2019 Monash BDI Director’s highly commended Publication Award
John Forrester Senior Research Fellowship (2017–19), Lions Eye Institute
Raine Medical Research Foundation Post-doctoral Fellowship (2001), declined due to the award of NHMRC grant
US Department of Defence Breast Cancer Research Program Postdoctoral Fellowship (1998–99), Harvard University, Boston
Athelstan and Amy Saw Medical Research Fellowship (1997), Harvard University, Boston

Grants/scholarships/funding overview

Chief Investigator on multiple NHMRC Project/Ideas Grants and ARC Discovery Grants
Co-investigator on industry funded research projects

Research Activity

Dr Andoniou’s research seeks to define the immune mechanisms that drive disease, with a particular focus on immunity to cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. He has extensive expertise in viral immunology and has contributed to discoveries published in leading journals including Nature, Science, Immunity, Nature Immunology, Journal of Experimental Medicine, and Blood.

He recently co-led research identifying a novel immune checkpoint regulated by CD44 expressed on fibroblastic reticular cells that is essential for optimal T cell responses (Nature, 2026; co-senior author). He also played a central role in developing a world-first preclinical model of CMV reactivation following bone marrow transplantation (BMT). This work uncovered a previously unrecognised role for humoral immunity in preventing CMV reactivation after transplantation (Science, 2019; co-first author). These findings opened new avenues for improved CMV treatment strategies, including the development of strain-specific antibody therapies (patent awarded), and were recognised with the 2019 Eureka Prize for Scientific Research.

In parallel, his work has defined how CMV interacts with immune-specialised tissues such as the eye. Together with his team, they have demonstrated that CMV establishes latent reservoirs and drives sustained inflammation in the neural retina of immunocompetent hosts, revealing tissue-resident immune responses within ocular compartments. These findings reshape understanding of immune regulation in the eye.

Overall, Dr Andoniou’s research bridges fundamental immunology and translational application, advancing strategies to improve immune protection in infection, transplantation, and immune-mediated diseases, including those that affect the eye.

Leading Publications

Sng, X.Y.X., Voigt, V., Schuster, I.S., Fleming, P., Deuss, F.A., Abuwarwar, M.H., van Dommelen, S.L.H., Neate, G.E.G., Arnold, R.M., Horsnell, H.L., Daly, S., Golzarroshan, B., Varelias, A., Lyman, S.D., Scalzo, A.A., Hill, G.R., Mueller, S.N., Wikstrom, M.E., Berry, R., Rossjohn, J., Fletcher, A.L., Andoniou, C.E.*, and Degli-Esposti, M.A.* (2026). Fibroblastic reticular cells direct the initiation of T cell responses via CD44. Nature. 10.1038/s41586-025-09988-8. *Co-senior and co-corresponding
Zhang, P., Fleming, P., Andoniou, C.E., Waltner, O.G., Bhise, S.S., Martins, J.P., McEnroe, B.A., Voigt, V., Daly, S., Kuns, R.D., Ekwe, A.P., Henden, A.S., Saldan, A., Olver, S., Varelias, A., Smith, C., Schmidt, C.R., Ensbey, K.S., Legg, S.R., Sekiguchi, T., Minnie, S.A., Gradwell, M., Wagenaar, I., Clouston, A.D., Koyama, M., Furlan, S.N., Kennedy, G.A., Ward, E.S., Degli-Esposti, M.A., Hill, G.R., and Tey, S.K. (2024). IL-6-mediated endothelial injury impairs antiviral humoral immunity after bone marrow transplantation. J Clin Invest 134. 10.1172/JCI174184.
Schuster, I.S., Sng, X.Y.X., Lau, C.M., Powell, D.R., Weizman, O.E., Fleming, P., Neate, G.E.G., Voigt, V., Sheppard, S., Maraskovsky, A.I., Daly, S., Koyama, M., Hill, G.R., Turner, S.J., O’Sullivan, T.E., Sun, J.C., Andoniou, C.E., and Degli-Esposti, M.A. (2023). Infection induces tissue-resident memory NK cells that safeguard tissue health. Immunity 56, 531-546 e536. 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.01.016.
Martins, J.P.*, Andoniou, C.E.*, Fleming, P.*, Kuns, R.D., Schuster, I.S., Voigt, V., Daly, S., Varelias, A., Tey, S.K., Degli-Esposti, M.A., and Hill, G.R. (2019). Strain-specific antibody therapy prevents cytomegalovirus reactivation after transplantation. Science 363, 288-293. 10.1126/science.aat0066. *Equal contribution.
Andoniou, C.E., Schuster, I.S., and Degli-Esposti, M.A. (2019). The Avidity Game: Selecting Natural-Born Killers. Immunity 50, 1337-1339. 10.1016/j.immuni.2019.05.018.
Voigt, V., Andoniou, C.E., Schuster, I.S., Oszmiana, A., Ong, M.L., Fleming, P., Forrester, J.V., and Degli-Esposti, M.A. (2018). Cytomegalovirus establishes a latent reservoir and triggers long-lasting inflammation in the eye. PLoS Pathog 14, e1007040. 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007040.
Schuster, I.S., Wikstrom, M.E., Brizard, G., Coudert, J.D., Estcourt, M.J., Manzur, M., O’Reilly, L.A., Smyth, M.J., Trapani, J.A., Hill, G.R., Andoniou, C.E.*, and Degli-Esposti, M.A.* (2014). TRAIL+ NK cells control CD4+ T cell responses during chronic viral infection to limit autoimmunity. Immunity 41, 646-656. * Co-senior author.
Tze, L.E., Horikawa, K., Domaschenz, H., Howard, D.R., Roots, C.M., Rigby, R.J., Way, D.A., Ohmura-Hoshino, M., Ishido, S., Andoniou, C.E., Degli-Esposti, M.A., and Goodnow, C.C. (2011). CD83 increases MHC II and CD86 on dendritic cells by opposing IL-10-driven MARCH1-mediated ubiquitination and degradation. J Exp Med 208, 149-165. 10.1084/jem.20092203.
Andoniou, C.E., Andrews, D.M., and Degli-Esposti, M.A. (2006). Natural killer cells in viral infection: more than just killers. Immunol Rev 214, 239-250. IMR465 [pii] 10.1111/j.1600-065X.2006.00465.x.
Thien, C.B., Blystad, F.D., Zhan, Y., Lew, A.M., Voigt, V., Andoniou, C.E., and Langdon, W.Y. (2005). Loss of c-Cbl RING finger function results in high-intensity TCR signaling and thymic deletion. EMBO J 24, 3807-3819. 7600841 [pii] 10.1038/sj.emboj.7600841.
Andoniou, C.E., van Dommelen, S.L., Voigt, V., Andrews, D.M., Brizard, G., Asselin-Paturel, C., Delale, T., Stacey, K.J., Trinchieri, G., and Degli-Esposti, M.A. (2005). Interaction between conventional dendritic cells and natural killer cells is integral to the activation of effective antiviral immunity. Nat Immunol 6, 1011-1019. ni1244 [pii] 10.1038/ni1244.
Andrews, D.M., Andoniou, C.E., Granucci, F., Ricciardi-Castagnoli, P., and Degli-Esposti, M.A. (2001). Infection of dendritic cells by murine cytomegalovirus induces functional paralysis. Nat Immunol 2, 1077-1084. 10.1038/ni724 ni724 [pii].
Andoniou, C.E., Thien, C.B., and Langdon, W.Y. (1994). Tumour induction by activated abl involves tyrosine phosphorylation of the product of the cbl oncogene. EMBO J 13, 4515-4523.