Jun Liu, University of Toronto

Research

Bcg Covid-19 Hd-Ad Lsr2 Tuberculosis Vaccine Coronavirus Vaccines

Latest papers

DNA-based vaccines: Advances, applications, and future prospects.
Genes & diseases · 2026
An mRNA vaccine induces antimycobacterial immunity by activating DNA damage repair and autophagy.
Molecular therapy. Nucleic acids · 2025
Protective Efficacy of Subunit Vaccine Expressing Rv0976c Against Tuberculosis.
Vaccines · 2025

All 81 publications

Latest funding

Immune factors associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection outcome and implication for vaccine development
CIHR · 2022 · Nominated PI
$983,025
Intranasal multivalent vaccines targeting COVID-19 variants of concern
CIHR · 2021 · Nominated PI
COVID-19 Variant Supplement - Development of safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19
CIHR · 2021 · Nominated PI
$50,000

All 11 grants and awards

81 publications.

01

DNA-based vaccines: Advances, applications, and future prospects.

Zhou ZP, Chen ZR, Bandara RA, Duan R, Cao H, Liu J, Hu J

Genes & diseases2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.gendis.2025.102025 PMID: 42491006

02

An mRNA vaccine induces antimycobacterial immunity by activating DNA damage repair and autophagy.

Chen D, Huang W, Shen L, Zhang J, Pan Z, Zhang C, Tang Y, Zhou Z, Tao J, Luo G, Zhang S, Zhou J, Xu S, Zhang M, Li Y, Fang Y, Zhao F, Huang L, Li H, Yang H, Lv H, Sha W, Yan B, Liu J, Zhang L

Molecular therapy. Nucleic acids2025

DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2024.102402 PMID: 39759874

03

Protective Efficacy of Subunit Vaccine Expressing Rv0976c Against Tuberculosis.

Zhou Z, Chen D, Chen F, Xu W, Pan Z, Xiang Z, Gao X, Li Y, Zhong F, Liu J, Zhang L

Vaccines2025

DOI: 10.3390/vaccines13080872 PMID: 40872957

04

A gut commensal protozoan determines respiratory disease outcomes by shaping pulmonary immunity

Burrows K, Ngai L, Chiaranunt P, Watt J, Popple S, Forde B, Denha S, Olyntho VM, Tai SL, Cao EY

Cell202576 citations

DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.11.020

05

Intranasal HD-Ad-FS vaccine induces systemic and airway mucosal immunities against SARS-CoV-2 and systemic immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants in mice and hamsters.

Zhou P, Watt J, Mai J, Cao H, Li Z, Chen Z, Duan R, Quan Y, Gingras AC, Rini JM, Hu J, Liu J

Frontiers in immunology2024Senior author

DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1430928 PMID: 39281669

06

Structure of mycobacterial respiratory complex I.

Liang Y, Plourde A, Bueler SA, Liu J, Brzezinski P, Vahidi S, Rubinstein JL

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2023

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2214949120 PMID: 36952383

07

Arabinogalactan enhances Mycobacterium marinum virulence by suppressing host innate immune responses.

Li YY, Liu HM, Wang D, Lu Y, Ding C, Zhou LS, Wu XY, Zhou ZW, Xu SQ, Lin C, Qin LH, Li Y, Liu J, Liu HP, Zhang L

Frontiers in immunology2022

DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.879775 PMID: 36090984

08

WhiB4 Is Required for the Reactivation of Persistent Infection of Mycobacterium marinum in Zebrafish.

Lin C, Tang Y, Wang Y, Zhang J, Li Y, Xu S, Xia B, Zhai Q, Li Y, Zhang L, Liu J

Microbiology spectrum2022Senior author

DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00443-21 PMID: 35266819

09

Crosstalk between the ancestral type VII secretion system ESX-4 and other T7SS in Mycobacterium marinum.

Wang Y, Tang Y, Lin C, Zhang J, Mai J, Jiang J, Gao X, Li Y, Zhao G, Zhang L, Liu J

iScience2022Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103585 PMID: 35005535

10

Preclinical evaluation of a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine PTX-COVID19-B

Liu J, Budylowski P, Samson R, Griffin BD, Babuadze G, Rathod B, Colwill K, Abioye JA, Schwartz JA, Law R

Science Advances202254 citationsFirst author

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj9815

Immune factors associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection outcome and implication for vaccine development

Nominated PICIHR2022Project Grant

Principal investigators: Liu, Jun

Keywords: Bcg; Cd39; Immunity; Lsr2; Tuberculosis; Vaccine

$983,025

Intranasal multivalent vaccines targeting COVID-19 variants of concern

Nominated PICIHR2021Operating Grant: Emerging COVID-19 Research Gaps and Priorities - Vaccines

Principal investigators: Liu, Jun

Keywords: Animals; Covid-19; Hd-Ad; Sars-Cov-2 Variants; Vaccine

COVID-19 Variant Supplement - Development of safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19

Nominated PICIHR2021Operating Grant: SARS-CoV-2 variants supplement stream 1

Principal investigators: Liu, Jun

Keywords: Bcg; Coronavirus; Covid-19; Hd-Ad; Vaccines

$50,000

Mycobacterial small RNA: mechanism and function

Nominated PICIHR2020Project Grant

Principal investigators: Liu, Jun

Keywords: Bacterial Small Rna; Function; Mechanism; Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

$822,376

Development of safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19

Nominated PICIHR2020Operating Grant: COVID-19 Rapid Research Funding Opportunity - Vaccines

Principal investigators: Liu, Jun

Keywords: Bcg; Coronavirus; Covid-19; Hd-Ad; Vaccines

$416,483

Novel Live TB Vaccines to Replace BCG

Nominated PICIHR2017Project Grant

Principal investigators: Liu, Jun

Keywords: Animal Models; Protective Efficacy; Recombinant Bcg; Tuberculosis Vaccine

$887,400

Role of protein acetylation in Mtb metabolism and virulence

Nominated PICIHR2012China-Canada Joint Health Research Initiative

Principal investigators: Liu, Jun; Zhang, Xuelian

Keywords: Metabolism; Mycobacterium Tuberculosis; Protein Acetylation; Virulence

$198,423

Role of Lsr2 in Mtb persistence and drug tolerance

Nominated PICIHR2012Operating Grant

Principal investigators: Liu, Jun

Keywords: Gene Regulation; Infectious Disease; Latent Infection; Lsr2; Tuberculosis

$864,170

Novel Strategies to Improve the Efficacy of BCG

Nominated PICIHR2010Operating Grant

Principal investigators: Liu, Jun

Keywords: Bcg; Efficacy; Metabolism; Transcription Factors; Tuberculosis; Vaccine

$716,414

The Effects of Lipid Virulence Factors, PDIMs/PGLs, on Virulence and Immunogenicity of BCG Vaccine Strains

SupervisorCIHR2008Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Principal investigators: Tran, Linh Vanessa

Keywords: Bcg; Cell Wall Lipids; Infection; Molecular Genetics; Tuberculosis; Vaccine

$105,000

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Medicine
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology
Molecular Genetics
Department of Immunology
Toronto General Research Institute
Cell Biology
Department of Molecular Genetics
Other

Co-authors at University of Toronto, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Yu Sun

Toronto General Research Institute

12 shared papers, latest 2018

Anne-Claude Gingras

Department of Molecular Genetics

2 shared papers, latest 2024

Sevan Hopyan

Developmental and Stem Cell Biology

2 shared papers, latest 2018

Amira Klip

Cell Biology

2 shared papers, latest 2015

Samira Mubareka

Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology

2 shared papers, latest 2022

Sonya MacParland

Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology

2 shared papers, latest 2014

Arinjay Banerjee

Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization

2 shared papers, latest 2022

Bryan Heit

Microbiology and Immunology

2 shared papers, latest 2015

Stephen Betschel

Department of Medicine

1 shared papers, latest 2021

Kumaraswamy Nanthakumar

Medicine/Cardiology

1 shared papers, latest 2014

Scott Gray-Owen

Molecular Genetics

1 shared papers, latest 2011

Ming-Sound Tsao

Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology

1 shared papers, latest 2021

Siavash Vahidi

Molecular and Cellular Biology

1 shared papers, latest 2023

Gordon Keller

Medical Biophysics

1 shared papers, latest 2015

Jennifer Gommerman

Department of Immunology

1 shared papers, latest 2012

Thomas Kislinger

Department of Medical Biophysics

1 shared papers, latest 2015

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their CIHR grant from 2022

Subject: Prospective PhD student: Bcg Dear Professor Liu, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "DNA-based vaccines: Advances, applications, and future prospects." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your CIHR-funded project "Immune factors associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection outcome and implication for vaccine development" (2022), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]

Jun Liu

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

DNA-based vaccines: Advances, applications, and future prospects.

An mRNA vaccine induces antimycobacterial immunity by activating DNA damage repair and autophagy.

Protective Efficacy of Subunit Vaccine Expressing Rv0976c Against Tuberculosis.

A gut commensal protozoan determines respiratory disease outcomes by shaping pulmonary immunity

Intranasal HD-Ad-FS vaccine induces systemic and airway mucosal immunities against SARS-CoV-2 and systemic immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants in mice and hamsters.

Structure of mycobacterial respiratory complex I.

Arabinogalactan enhances Mycobacterium marinum virulence by suppressing host innate immune responses.

WhiB4 Is Required for the Reactivation of Persistent Infection of Mycobacterium marinum in Zebrafish.

Crosstalk between the ancestral type VII secretion system ESX-4 and other T7SS in Mycobacterium marinum.

Preclinical evaluation of a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine PTX-COVID19-B

Frequent collaborators

Yu Sun

Mario Ostrowski

Rupert Kaul

Jim Hu

Anne-Claude Gingras

Sevan Hopyan

Amira Klip

Samira Mubareka

Sonya MacParland

Arinjay Banerjee

Karen Mossman

Bryan Heit

Mona Loutfy

Maziar Divangahi

Stephen Betschel

Kumaraswamy Nanthakumar

Scott Gray-Owen

Todd Hatchette

Ming-Sound Tsao

Siavash Vahidi

Gordon Keller

Robert Hamilton

Josh Koenig

Vesna Mihajlovic

Jennifer Gommerman

Thomas Kislinger