Séminaire CIRI : Dr. Morgane ROLLAND

Dr. Morgane Rolland (U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA; Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, USA),  « Viral Evolution & Vaccine Design ».

Abstract: RNA viruses include some of the most rapidly evolving pathogens and pathogen diversity is a significant obstacle to developing effective vaccines. The enormous diversity of HIV-1 has challenged vaccine efforts for almost four decades, and the succession of SARS-CoV-2 variants that have emerged since 2021 can threaten the effectiveness of current vaccines. Here we will contrast evolutionary processes for HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2, describing how both viruses evolve and adapt to the host immune response. Then, we will discuss how evolutionary dynamics are integrated to optimize vaccine candidates. We will present new vaccine design strategies for HIV-1 and coronaviruses and show how computational models can help design better vaccine candidates capable of targeting both current and future threats.