Research Summary

The Minnie lab studies tumor immunology in hematologic malignancies. We use preclinical models, high-parameter flow cytometry, and single-cell RNA sequencing to study resistance mechanisms to immunotherapies and standard-of-care therapies. These include stem cell transplantation, CAR T cells, bispecific antibodies, synthetic cytokines, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and immunomodulatory drugs.

Education

Postdoc, 2025 - Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
PhD, 2019 - Immunology, University of Queensland
BSc, 2014 - Immunology, University of Queensland

Selected Publications

  1. Boiko JR, Ensbey KS, Waltner OG, Jenkins IC, Bhise SS, MacDonald KPA, Blazar BR, Hall AM, Gooley TA, Minnie SA, Lee SJ, Furlan SN, Hill GR. Defining pathogenic IL-17 and CSF-1 gene expression signatures in chronic graft-versus-host disease. Blood. 2025 May 08; 145(19):2214-2228. View on PubMed
  2. Zhang P, Minnie SA, Hill GR. Calcineurin inhibition rescues alloantigen-specific central memory T cell subsets that promote chronic GVHD. Reply. J Clin Invest. 2024 Oct 15; 134(20). View on PubMed
  3. Yeh AC, Koyama M, Waltner OG, Minnie SA, Boiko JR, Shabaneh TB, Takahashi S, Zhang P, Ensbey KS, Schmidt CR, Legg SRW, Sekiguchi T, Nelson E, Bhise SS, Stevens AR, Goodpaster T, Chakka S, Furlan SN, Markey KA, Bleakley ME, Elson CO, Bradley PH, Hill GR. Microbiota dictate T cell clonal selection to augment graft-versus-host disease after stem cell transplantation. Immunity. 2024 07 09; 57(7):1648-1664.e9. View on PubMed
  4. Wang Y, Ullah MA, Waltner OG, Bhise SS, Ensbey KS, Schmidt CR, Legg SR, Sekiguchi T, Nelson EL, Kuns RD, Nemychenkov NS, Atilla E, Yeh AC, Takahashi S, Boiko JR, Varelias A, Blazar BR, Koyama M, Minnie SA, Clouston AD, Furlan SN, Zhang P, Hill GR. Calcineurin inhibition rescues alloantigen-specific central memory T cell subsets that promote chronic GVHD. J Clin Invest. 2024 Jun 03; 134(11). View on PubMed
  5. Minnie SA, Waltner OG, Zhang P, Takahashi S, Nemychenkov NS, Ensbey KS, Schmidt CR, Legg SRW, Comstock M, Boiko JR, Nelson E, Bhise SS, Wilkens AB, Koyama M, Dhodapkar MV, Chesi M, Riddell SR, Green DJ, Spencer A, Furlan SN, Hill GR. TIM-3+ CD8 T cells with a terminally exhausted phenotype retain functional capacity in hematological malignancies. Sci Immunol. 2024 04 19; 9(94):eadg1094. View on PubMed
  6. Takahashi S, Minnie SA, Ensbey KS, Schmidt CR, Sekiguchi T, Legg SRW, Zhang P, Koyama M, Olver SD, Collinge AD, Keshmiri S, Comstock ML, Varelias A, Green DJ, Hill GR. Regulatory T cells suppress myeloma-specific immunity during autologous stem cell mobilization and transplantation. Blood. 2024 04 18; 143(16):1656-1669. View on PubMed
  7. Zhang P, Fleming P, Andoniou CE, Waltner OG, Bhise SS, Martins JP, McEnroe BA, Voigt V, Daly S, Kuns RD, Ekwe AP, Henden AS, Saldan A, Olver S, Varelias A, Smith C, Schmidt CR, Ensbey KS, Legg SR, Sekiguchi T, Minnie SA, Gradwell M, Wagenaar I, Clouston AD, Koyama M, Furlan SN, Kennedy GA, Ward ES, Degli-Esposti MA, Hill GR, Tey SK. IL-6-mediated endothelial injury impairs antiviral humoral immunity after bone marrow transplantation. J Clin Invest. 2024 Apr 01; 134(7). View on PubMed
  8. Koyama M, Hippe DS, Srinivasan S, Proll SC, Miltiadous O, Li N, Zhang P, Ensbey KS, Hoffman NG, Schmidt CR, Yeh AC, Minnie SA, Strenk SM, Fiedler TL, Hattangady N, Kowalsky J, Grady WM, Degli-Esposti MA, Varelias A, Clouston AD, van den Brink MRM, Dey N, Randolph TW, Markey KA, Fredricks DN, Hill GR. Intestinal microbiota controls graft-versus-host disease independent of donor-host genetic disparity. Immunity. 2023 08 08; 56(8):1876-1893.e8. View on PubMed
  9. Austin RJ, Straube J, Halder R, Janardhanan Y, Bruedigam C, Witkowski M, Cooper L, Porter A, Braun M, Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes F, Minnie SA, Cooper E, Jacquelin S, Song A, Bald T, Nakamura K, Hill GR, Aifantis I, Lane SW, Bywater MJ. Oncogenic drivers dictate immune control of acute myeloid leukemia. Nat Commun. 2023 04 14; 14(1):2155. View on PubMed
  10. Moi D, Zeng B, Minnie SA, Bhatt R, Wood J, Sester DP, Mazzieri R, Dolcetti R. Multiparametric flow cytometry to characterize vaccine-induced polyfunctional T cell responses and T cell/NK cell exhaustion and memory phenotypes in mouse immuno-oncology models. Front Immunol. 2023; 14:1127896. View on PubMed
  11. Minnie SA, Waltner OG, Ensbey KS, Olver SD, Collinge AD, Sester DP, Schmidt CR, Legg SR, Takahashi S, Nemychenkov NS, Sekiguchi T, Driessens G, Zhang P, Koyama M, Spencer A, Holmberg LA, Furlan SN, Varelias A, Hill GR. TIGIT inhibition and lenalidomide synergistically promote antimyeloma immune responses after stem cell transplantation in mice. J Clin Invest. 2023 02 15; 133(4). View on PubMed
  12. Minnie SA, Waltner OG, Ensbey KS, Nemychenkov NS, Schmidt CR, Bhise SS, Legg SRW, Campoy G, Samson LD, Kuns RD, Zhou T, Huck JD, Vuckovic S, Zamora D, Yeh A, Spencer A, Koyama M, Markey KA, Lane SW, Boeckh M, Ring AM, Furlan SN, Hill GR. Depletion of exhausted alloreactive T cells enables targeting of stem-like memory T cells to generate tumor-specific immunity. Sci Immunol. 2022 10 21; 7(76):eabo3420. View on PubMed
  13. Inoue T, Koyama M, Kaida K, Ikegame K, Ensbey KS, Samson L, Takahashi S, Zhang P, Minnie SA, Maruyama S, Ishii S, Daimon T, Fukuda T, Nakamae H, Ara T, Maruyama Y, Ishiyama K, Ichinohe T, Atsuta Y, Blazar BR, Furlan SN, Ogawa H, Hill GR. Peritransplant glucocorticoids redistribute donor T cells to the bone marrow and prevent relapse after haploidentical SCT. JCI Insight. 2021 11 22; 6(22). View on PubMed
  14. Minnie SA, Hill GR. Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for Myeloma: Cytoreduction or an Immunotherapy? Front Immunol. 2021; 12:651288. View on PubMed
  15. Minnie SA, Hill GR. Immunotherapy of multiple myeloma. J Clin Invest. 2020 04 01; 130(4):1565-1575. View on PubMed
  16. Wilkinson AN, Chang K, Kuns RD, Henden AS, Minnie SA, Ensbey KS, Clouston AD, Zhang P, Koyama M, Hidalgo J, Rose-John S, Varelias A, Vuckovic S, Gartlan KH, Hill GR. IL-6 dysregulation originates in dendritic cells and mediates graft-versus-host disease via classical signaling. Blood. 2019 12 05; 134(23):2092-2106. View on PubMed
  17. Vuckovic S, Minnie SA, Smith D, Gartlan KH, Watkins TS, Markey KA, Mukhopadhyay P, Guillerey C, Kuns RD, Locke KR, Pritchard AL, Johansson PA, Varelias A, Zhang P, Huntington ND, Waddell N, Chesi M, Miles JJ, Smyth MJ, Hill GR. Bone marrow transplantation generates T cell-dependent control of myeloma in mice. J Clin Invest. 2019 01 02; 129(1):106-121. View on PubMed
  18. Minnie SA, Kuns RD, Gartlan KH, Zhang P, Wilkinson AN, Samson L, Guillerey C, Engwerda C, MacDonald KPA, Smyth MJ, Markey KA, Vuckovic S, Hill GR. Myeloma escape after stem cell transplantation is a consequence of T-cell exhaustion and is prevented by TIGIT blockade. Blood. 2018 10 18; 132(16):1675-1688. View on PubMed
  19. Guillerey C, Harjunpää H, Carrié N, Kassem S, Teo T, Miles K, Krumeich S, Weulersse M, Cuisinier M, Stannard K, Yu Y, Minnie SA, Hill GR, Dougall WC, Avet-Loiseau H, Teng MWL, Nakamura K, Martinet L, Smyth MJ. TIGIT immune checkpoint blockade restores CD8+ T-cell immunity against multiple myeloma. Blood. 2018 10 18; 132(16):1689-1694. View on PubMed
  20. Markey KA, Kuns RD, Browne DJ, Gartlan KH, Robb RJ, Martins JP, Henden AS, Minnie SA, Cheong M, Koyama M, Smyth MJ, Steptoe RJ, Belz GT, Brocker T, Degli-Esposti MA, Lane SW, Hill GR. Flt-3L Expansion of Recipient CD8α+ Dendritic Cells Deletes Alloreactive Donor T Cells and Represents an Alternative to Posttransplant Cyclophosphamide for the Prevention of GVHD. Clin Cancer Res. 2018 04 01; 24(7):1604-1616. View on PubMed

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