Daniel Scott-Algara

He is Director of Research in the Cytokines and Inflammation Unit and Head of the Innate Immunity team in the Pasteur Institute in Paris. He is working in Innate Immune responses against pathogens. He is conducting several basic and clinical researches in the role of innate immunity in the resistance or protection against viral diseases like HIV and Hepatitis.

His studies in HIV exposed but not infected individuals (EUs) showed a role of NK cells in the resistance against HIV infection. He next identified a subset of NK cell expressing the CD85j receptor as able to inhibit the HIV replication in DC by a mechanism depending in cell to cell contact and none mediated by cytolytic or soluble factors.

He also showed a role of NK cells in the induction of adaptive immune during vaccination (in vitro models and cohorts studies). He also approached the role of NK cells in HIV infected patients having a coinfection like Tuberculosis. He suggested that NK degranulation assay might predict the occurrence of IRIS in HIV-infected patients with TB. These results contributed to the understanding of the role of NK cells in resisting HIV infection and their role in vaccination and opened new directions in NK cell research.