Deputy Director of CVI
As an immunologist trained at Institut Pasteur, I have gained experience as a scientist in diverse academic laboratories and biotech companies, particularly focusing on HIV and retroviruses immunology. Upon returning to Institut Pasteur as a Research Scientist, I dedicated myself to developing and optimizing new preclinical models for testing immunotherapies. End of 2019, I relocated to the US. Despite the complicated situation imposed by the pandemic, I was fortunate to be able to join Moderna (Cambridge, MA) as an Associate Director. Initially, I worked within their discovery platform, characterizing the behavior of LNP-mRNA following intravenous administration and exploring the inflammatory and functional interactions between these complex molecules and the immune system. Subsequently, I took a position as Scientific Director and joined the Infectious Diseases team under the mentorship of Galit Alter. I focused on optimizing our LNP-mRNA vaccine platform to enhance vaccine protection durability, mucosal immunity, and minimize reactogenicity. Concurrently, I served as the Research Lead for the HIV immunotherapy program (2022-2023) and collaborated with External Innovation as a Subject-Matter Expert in preclinical immunology with an industrial biotech partner. In the past six months, I have coordinated efforts to establish a Core program aimed at investigating correlates of immunity and immune profiling to inform vaccine design and prepare preclinical and clinical data packages for Vaccine submissions.
My expertise in immunology and vaccinology is now serving the CVI (Center for Vaccinology and Immunotherapies). As Deputy Director I am facilitating the coordination among the various sub-teams affiliated to the CVI. In recent years, I have developed a strong understanding of lipid nanoparticle mRNA technology, which will be helpful to structure future scientific orientations. I am eager to engage in external innovation and partnership efforts in collaboration with the DARRI to provide cutting-edge tools and support for this remarkable initiative at Institut Pasteur. I firmly believe that we can enhance our understanding of regulatory determinants of immune responses through advanced immune profiling of samples from vaccinated individuals and patients with infectious disease. The identified biomarkers and immune correlates of protection will be essential motors to accelerate vaccine design and innovation.
