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Professor Emeritus Gary McLean

Professor Emeritus Gary McLean is a Professor Emeritus in Biosciences at the School of Human Sciences.

Photograph of Professor Gary McLean.

Professor Gary McLean

Prof McLean has a Biochemistry BSc, DipSci in Immunology, PhD in Pathology and PGCert in Education. His prior academic roles include postdoctoral research training at the University of British Columbia (Canada) and Albert Einstein College of Medicine (New York, USA), and a faculty position at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston. Following relocation to the UK in 2007 he became a research fellow at Imperial College London where he retains an honorary appointment. After joining London Met in late 2010, he was promoted to Reader in 2013 and to Professor in 2019.

His research focuses on widespread human viral infections such as herpesviruses and the common cold viruses, including coronaviruses. Because these pathogens have limited therapeutic options, his research investigates the host immune responses, aiming to identify and characterise the antibodies that help defend against these infectious diseases and to use this information to develop protective vaccines. He is currently the Director of the Cellular Molecular and Immunology Research Centre at London Met.

Prof. McLean teaches in biosciences is at undergraduate and postgraduate level for biomedical science degrees includes contributions to modules in pathology, immunology, molecular biology, virology, genomics, immunotherapy and infectious disease. He leads the Biological Science BSc (Hons) research project module.

Recent Publications

  • Y Abo-zeid, GR Williams, L Touabi, GR McLean. "An investigation of Rhinovirus Infection on Cellular Uptake of Nanoparticles". International Journal of Pharmaceutics. (2020)
  • Y Abo-zeid, Nasser S. Ismail, GR McLean, Nadia M. Hamdy. "A Molecular Docking Study Repurposes FDA Approved Iron Oxide Nanoparticles To Treat And Control COVID-19 Infection." European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 153 (2020) 105465 
  • S Siddiqui, S Hackl, H Ghoddusi, AC Gomes, J Ho, MB Reeves, GR Mclean. "IgA binds to the AD-2 epitope of glycoprotein B and neutralizes Human Cytomegalovirus." Immunology in press accepted 2020
  • S Urbán, G Paragi, K Burián, GR McLean, DP Virok. "Epitope similarity between SARS-CoV-2 and Bacillus Calmette–Guérin". Clinical and Translational Immunology in press accepted 2020
  • GR McLean. Vaccine strategies to induce broadly protective immunity to rhinoviruses. Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics 2019 doi: 10.1080/21645515.2019.1661207
  • JS Narean, N Glanville, CM Nunn, K Niespodziana, R Valenta, SL Johnston, GR McLean. Epitope mapping of antibodies induced with a conserved rhinovirus protein generating protective anti-rhinovirus immunity. Vaccine 2019 37(21):2805-2813 
  • I Baraniak, B Kropff, L Ambrose, M McIntosh, GR McLean, S Pichon, C Atkinson, RSB Milne, M Mach, PD Griffiths, MB Reeves. Protection from cytomegalovirus viraemia following glycoprotein B vaccination is not dependent on neutralising antibodies. Proc Natl Acad Sci, 2018. 201800224 
  • I Baraniak, B Kropff, GR McLean, S Pichon, F Piras-Douce, RSB Milne, C Smith, M Mach, PD Griffiths, MB Reeves; Epitope-Specific Humoral Responses to Human Cytomegalovirus Glycoprotein-B Vaccine with MF59: Anti-AD2 Levels Correlate with Protection from Viremia. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2018, jiy102
  • JW Schrader and GR McLean. Multispecificity of a recombinant anti-ras monoclonal antibody. J Mol Recognit. 2017;e2683.
  • A Manghera and GR McLean. HCMV vaccination: progress and perspectives of recombinant gB. Future Virology 11(6):439-449, 2016
  • GR Williams, I Kubajewska, NS Glanville, SL Johnston and GR McLean. The potential for a protective vaccine for rhinovirus infections. Expert Review of Vaccines 15(5), 569-571, 2016
  • GR McLean. Developing a vaccine for human rhinoviruses. Journal of Vaccines and Immunization 2(3):16-20, 2014
  • R Privolizzi, R Solari, SL Johnston, GR McLean. The application of prophylactic antibodies for rhinovirus infections.  Antiviral Chemistry and Chemotherapy 23:173-177, 2014
  • N Glanville*, GR McLean*, B Guy, V Lecouturier, C Berry, Y Girerd, C Gregoire, RP Walton, RM Pearson, T Kebadze,  N Burdin, NW Bartlett, JW Almond and SL Johnston. Cross-serotype immunity induced by immunization with a conserved rhinovirus capsid protein.  PLoS Pathogens 9(9): e1003669, 2013
  • RS Thompson, NM Khaskhely, DJ Legget, J Mosakowski, S Khuder, GR McLean, MAJ Westerink. Isolation and characterization of human polyreactive pneumococcal polysaccharide antibodies. Open Journal of Immunology 2(3):98-110, 2012
  • G Sapparapu, S Planque, Y Mitsuda, GR McLean, Y Nishiyama, S Paul. Constant domain-regulated antibody catalysis. Journal of Biological Chemistry 287:36096-36104, 2012
  • GR McLean, RP Walton, S Shetty, N Paktiawal, T Kebadze, L Gogsadze, K Niespodziana, R Valenta, NW Bartlett, SL Johnston Rhinovirus infections and immunisation induce cross-serotype reactive antibodies to VP1. Antiviral Research 95(3):193-201, 2012

Co-first authors

  • S Traub, A Nikonova, A Carruthers, R Dunmore, K Vousden, L Gogsadze, W Hao, Q Zhu, J Zhu, M Dymond, GR McLean, RP Walton, N Glanville, A Humbles, M Khaitov, T Wells, R Kolbeck, AJ Leishman, MA Sleeman, NW Bartlett, SL Johnston. An anti-human ICAM-1 antibody inhibits rhinoviral exacerbation of lung inflammation. PLoS Pathogens 9(8): e1003520, 2013
  • JR Mader, ZT Resch, GR McLean, JH Mikkelsen, C Oxvig, RJ Marler, CA Conover. Mice Deficient in Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A Show Resistance to the Development of Diabetic Nephropathy. Journal of Endocrinology 219:51-58, 2013
  • RS Thompson, NM Khaskhely, DJ Legget, J Mosakowski, S Khuder, GR McLean, MAJ Westerink. Isolation and characterization of human polyreactive pneumococcal polysaccharide antibodies. Open Journal of Immunology 2(3):98-110, 2012
  • G Sapparapu, S Planque, Y Mitsuda, GR McLean, Y Nishiyama, S Paul. Constant domain-regulated antibody catalysis. Journal of Biological Chemistry 287:36096-36104, 2012
    GR McLean, RP Walton, S Shetty, N Paktiawal, T Kebadze, L Gogsadze, K Niespodziana, R Valenta, NW Bartlett, SL Johnston Rhinovirus infections and immunisation induce cross-serotype reactive antibodies to VP1. Antiviral Research 95(3):193-201, 2012
  • NW Bartlett, GR McLean, Y-S Chang and SL Johnston. Genetics and epidemiology: asthma and infection. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 9:395-400, 2009
    CA Thomson, S Bryson, GR McLean, AL Creagh, EF Pai, JW Schrader. Germline V-genes sculpt the binding site of a family of antibodies neutralizing human cytomegalovirus. EMBO J27(19):2592-2602,2008
  • M Noseda and GR McLean. Where did the scientific method go? Nature Biotechnology 26(1):28-29, 2008
  • JW Schrader and GR McLean. Location, location, timing: an analysis of cytomegalovirus epitopes for neutralizing antibodies. Immunology Letters 112:58-60, 2007
  • GR McLean, C Cho, B Trotter, JW Schrader. RIVETS: The recombinant immunoglobulin and viral epitope tag system. Journal of Immunological Methods 315:208-213, 2006
  • GR McLean, C Cho, JW Schrader. Autoreactivity of primary human immunoglobulins ancestral to hypermutated human antibodies that neutralize HCMV. Molecular Immunology 43:2012-2022, 2006
  • GR McLean, M Torres, B Trotter, M Noseda, S Bryson, EF Pai, JW Schrader, A Casadevall.A point mutation in the CH3 domain of human IgG3 inhibits antibody secretion without affecting antigen specificity. Molecular Immunology 42(9):1111-1119, 2005
  • GR McLean, O Olsen, IN Watt, K Leslie, JS Babcook, JW Schrader.  Recognition of HCMV by primary immunoglobulins identifies an innate foundation to an adaptive immune response. Journal of Immunology 174:4768-4778, 2005
  • GR McLean, K Miller, JW Schrader, A Junker.  Biased IgG Isotype Production in a Case of HIGM4 Syndrome. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology 11(6):1192-1193, 2004
  • AH Lucas, GR McLean, DC Reason, The Pediatric Collaborative Group, AP O'Connor, MC Felton, KD Moulton.  Molecular ontogeny of the human antibody repertoire to the Haemophilus influenzae type b polysaccharide: Expression of canonical variable regions and their variants in vaccinated infants. Clinical Immunology 108(2):119-127, 2003
  • J Navoa, S Laal, L-A Pirofski, GR McLean, Z Dai, JB Robbins, R Schneerson, A Casadevall, A Glatman-Freedman. Specificity and diversity of antibodies to Mycobacterium tuberculosis arabinomannan. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology 10(1):88-94, 2003
  • GR McLean, M Torres, N Elguezabal, A Nakouzi, A Casadevall. Isotype can affect the fine specificity of an antibody for a polysaccharide antigen. Journal of Immunology 169:1379-1386, 2002
  • GR McLean, A Nakouzi, A Casadevall, NS Green. Human and murine immunoglobulin expression vector cassettes. Molecular Immunology 37(14):837-845, 2000
  • GR McLean, MJ Williams, CS Woodhouse, HJ Ziltener. Transcobalamin II and in vitro proliferation of leukemic cells. Leukemia and Lymphoma 30:101-109, 1998
  • GR McLean, PM Pathare, DS Wilbur, AC Morgan, CS Woodhouse, JW Schrader, HJ Ziltener. Analogs of cobalamin inhibit the growth of leukemia cells in vitro. Cancer Research 57:4015-4022, 1997
  • GR McLean, EV Quadros, SP Rothenberg, AC Morgan, JW Schrader, HJ Ziltener. Antibodies to transcobalamin II block in vitro proliferation of leukemic cells. Blood 89:235-242, 1997
  • G McLean and F Hilbink. Use of dried blood on filter paper in the ELISA for Brucella abortus. Journal of Immunological Methods 123:39-43, 1989

 

  • Canadian Institute for Health Research (2002-2005), “Structural analyses of antibody maturation” with Prof J Schrader
  • BC Research Institute Children’s and Women’s Health (BCRICWH)
  • CIID Translational Research Support Program (2005), “Analysis of the immunoglobulin class switching defect in a case of Hyper-IgM syndrome”
  • NIH R21-R33 (2006-2008) “Proteolytic antibody HIVcides” with Prof S Paul
  • Research Contract with Institut Cochin, Paris France (2007), “Production and purification of recombinant human IgA in eukaryotic systems”
  • Nuffield Foundation Research Bursary (2011), “The molecular and functional analysis of neutralising antibody responses to human rhinovirus”
  • Dunhill Medical Trust Serendipity Award (2013-2015), “The role of microvesicles in the spread of rhinovirus infections”
  • Research Contracts with CureVac, Tubingen, Germany (2016-2017), “Analyses of neutralising antibody responses to rhinovirus”
  • Honorary Senior Research Fellow, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London
  • Member of the British Society for Immunology
  • Numerous media appearances (TV, radio, print) during Covid-19 pandemic. 
  • Guest editor for scientific journals: Antibodies, Frontiers in Microbiology, Viruses. 
  • Ad hoc reviewer for numerous biomedical scientific journals.

The following are reports related to impact of research papers on the rhinovirus vaccine:

Prof Gary McLean
School of Human Sciences
Biosciences Professor of Molecular Immunology
g.mclean@londonmet.ac.uk