Principal Investigators

Prof. O’Farrelly is Professor of Comparative Immunology and her research focuses on innate anti-viral and anti-tumour immunity, particularly in human liver.  Prof. O’Farrelly has supervised or co-supervised 40 PhD students and was awarded the Nature Mentoring Award in 2014.  She is co-director of the MSc in Immunology at TCD and has led the development of a new MSc in Immunotherapeutics.

Prof. O’Neill is the Chair of Biochemistry and Head of Immunology in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology. His current research is focused on the molecular and cellular basis to inflammation and innate immunity.  Specific aspects include Toll-like receptors; Pro-inflammatory cytokines; Inflammasomes; Molecular analysis of inflammatory and infectious diseases; Immunometabolismand Metabolic Reprogramming in Innate Immunity.

Prof. Bowie is a Professor of Innate Immunology in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology at the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute. His research focuses on how innate immune sensing and signalling mechanisms lead to altered gene regulation, and how these processes are modulated by viruses. His group also investigates how pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and inflammasomes drive inflammation through the recognition of ‘stranger’ and ‘danger’ signals (such as dsDNA).

Dr. Kikkert’s research focuses on antiviral innate immunity and viral immune evasion in the context of RNA virus infections. Her group is currently studying the role of viral deubiquitinating proteases in immune evasion and virus pathology, as well as other interactions of RNA viruses with the ubiquitin-regulated innate immune response.

Prof. Snijder heads the Molecular Virology team and is an expert on the molecular virology of RNA viruses. His track record includes seminal studies on viral replicative enzymes, the design and use of reverse genetic systems for +RNA viruses, and studies of the replication organelles of these viruses using state-of-the art electron microscopy and -tomography.

Dr. Van Kuppeveld is a Professor in Molecular Virology and an expert on (picorna)virus replication. For his work, he received several prestigious research grants (e.g. NWO-VIDI and VICI grants). Furthermore, he has coordinated 2 Marie Curie ETNs on antiviral drug development; EUVIRNA (2011-2015) and ANTIVIRALS (2015-2019).

Dr. Anthonsen collaborates with researchers from the Centre of Molecular Inflammation Research (CEMIR) and Childhood Airway Infections research (CAIR) group that aim to increase knowledge about causes and host immune responses in childhood airway infections and to improve diagnostics and treatment of viral infections.

Dr. Van den Hoogen studies on the interaction of human metapneumovirus and respiratory syncytial virus with the immune system are conducted with the aim to design novel antiviral therapies. These basic research lines are continuously supported by the development of novel assays in molecular biology, virology, genetics, and bioinformatics.

Prof. Fouchier studies on viral zoonoses and virus transmission are performed to understand viral pathogenesis and the emergence of pandemic strains, with the aim to improve preparedness. Additional research on adaptive and innate immune responses and influenza virus antigenic drift is conducted with the aim to improve vaccination strategies.

Dr. Hochdörfer is a Senior Research Scientist at AstraZeneca in the Discovery Sciences department delivering compound screening data and mechanism of action studies to the company’s therapy areas. In his prior doctoral and post-doctoral positions he concentrated his research on cell signalling of mast cells and cell plasticity of innate lymphoid cells.”

Prof. Santoni is Scientific Director of Istituto Pasteur, Chair of the Dept. of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University, and member of the International Pasteur Institute Board.

Prof. Hiscott is Director of the Pasteur Laboratory, Istituto Pasteur Italia and studies interferon gene regulation and antiviral innate immunity in the context of the host response to viral pathogens such as influenza, HIV-1 and dengue.  He also investigates the use of oncolytic viruses as novel immunotherapeutics for cancer therapy.

Dr. Andreas Bergthaler`s group at CeMM is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and other grant agencies and is interested in the crosstalk between metabolism and inflammation during infection. Well-defined mouse models are interrogated with molecular techniques of immunology, virology and systems biology to gain insights into inflammation, metabolic reprogramming and pathology. The main scientific aim is to unravel fundamental mechanisms of systemic immunometabolism of relevance to inflammatory diseases.

Dr. N. Manel heads the innate immunity lab at Institut Curie.Institut Curie is a leading international cancer and research center located in the center of Paris. Institut Curie hosts 1000 researchers in 14 departments, and provides access to cutting-edge core facilities, in a highly international and collaborative environment.  His lab at Institut Curie is interested in uncovering the basic principles that operate at the intersection between innate immunity and viral replication and develops application of this research in collaboration with Stimunity.

Dr R. Zahn has a major research interest in the immunological response to viral infections, and its prevention by vaccination, and to develop discovery insights into clinical development. He is head of the non-clinical immunology research for viral vaccines and has established a deep knowledge in viral vaccine vector immunology.