Introduction:

Dr Jamie Mann was appointed Lecturer in early 2020 and then Associate Professor in Vaccinology and Immunotherapies in 2025. Immediately prior to coming to the University of Bristol (UOB), he worked as an Assistant Professor at the University of Western Ontario (CA) and before that, trained as a postdoctoral scientist at St George's University of London (UK), Imperial College (UK) and Case Western Reserve University (USA). Dr Mann's research centres around the development of novel therapeutic and prophylactic vaccines against mucosal pathogens such as HIV-1, Influenza and SARS-CoV-2.   

Viral Vaccine Research:
Dr Mann's vaccine research focuses on the pre-clinical development of vaccines for HIV, Influenza, and SARS-CoV-2. He has contributed to the CUTHIV-001 vaccine study by devising and testing a concurrent intradermal and intramuscular delivery protocol, which formed the basis for Phase 1 clinical trials. His group also contributed to the SAV001-H trial—the first-in-human, killed whole-HIV vaccine — by characterizing vaccine-elicited immune responses. More recently, as part of the Bristol UNCOVER group during the COVID-19 pandemic, his team helped evaluate an ADDomer-based nanoparticle vaccine formulation by performing immunological characterization of vaccine-induced antibodies, demonstrating cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 variants. More recently, the Mann lab, funded through a 5-year CIHR grant, has been engineering vaccine antigens for optimal B cell epitope display. By deleting, adding, or simply redistributing the glycans on the antigen, the team is trying to enhance the breadth, potency, and durability of protective B cell neutralising antibody responses.

Novel Adjuvant Design:
Dr Mann’s group is developing novel RNA-based adjuvants to enhance vaccine efficacy and support HIV cure strategies. This work is guided by insights from viral transmission studies and a broader interest in how viruses either evade or trigger innate immune responses. By engineering synthetic RNA molecules, enriched for specific immunostimulatory sequence motifs,  that engage receptors including TLR7 and TLR8, the lab aims to modulate immune activation pathways in a targeted manner. These rationally designed adjuvants have the potential to improve prophylactic vaccine-induced immunity and to potentiate latency reversal approaches (i..e "Shock and Kill") for HIV eradication.

HIV Cure Research:
In collaboration with Prof. Eric Arts (UWO, CA), the Mann lab developed Activator Vector (ACT-VEC), a polyvalent therapeutic vaccine platform designed to reverse HIV latency and target the viral reservoir as part of a “shock-and-kill” strategy. ACT-VEC has shown promise in proof-of-concept studies, gained national and international attention, and has been highlighted in several invited presentations at international conferences. A follow-up study testing ACT-VEC efficacy in ex vivo samples from subtype B and non-B HIV-1 infections has recently been accepted for publication.

Virus Transmission and Environmental Stability:
The Mann lab's research priorities also involve exploring viral transmission dynamics. Through a 5 year funded MRC grant (2025-2029) and using a novel viral transmisison assay, the team are studying and identifying novel features that promote viral transmission and replication fitness.  The aim being to generate new knowledge underlying transmission bottlenecks, understanding why certain viruses outcompete other viruses within an innoculating swarm, and translating this knowledge for vaccines that target viruses that are more likley to transmit.

In parallel, the Mann lab, as part of a larger consortium led by Prof Jonathan Reid (UOB, UK), have been studying the stability of SARS-CoV-2 in aerosols, droplets, and on fomites. Using a novel technology, called CELEBS (Controlled Electrodynamic Levitation and Extraction of Bioaerosols onto a Substrate),  we are helping to measure how environmental factors influence respirable virus decay in aerosols. These studies have so far revealed that different SARS-CoV-2 variants vary in their susceptibility to environmental inactivation, providing new insight into transmission risk.