 Dr. Nimesh Gupta
Chief in Vaccine Immunology Lab
BRIC-National Institute of Immunology
India |
Title:
Rethinking Immunity in Dengue: A T Cell Twist
Abstract:
This talk will present our recent discovery of a novel IL-21+ T cell subset that drives uncontrolled antibody responses and immune dysregulation in severe dengue. Challenging traditional paradigms, these findings redefine the role of T cells and T-B collaboration in dengue pathogenesis and highlight a key immunological axis with direct implications for vaccine design and therapeutic interventions.
Biography:
Dr. Nimesh Gupta is a leading virologist and immunologist with over two decades of expertise in mosquito-borne flaviviruses. He earned his doctorate in virology in India and pursued Postdoctoral research in Paris at the Institute Pasteur and University Pierre and Marie Curie. He currently heads a research group at the National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi—one of India’s premier biomedical research institutes.
Dr. Gupta’s research focuses on deciphering the T-cell determinants of durable, protective humoral immunity, with a major emphasis on T-cell–B-cell collaboration and follicular helper T cell (Tfh) biology. His team employs longitudinal cohorts of virus infection and vaccination particularly dengue and Japanese encephalitis to address fundamental questions and inform rational vaccine design. Complementing his fundamental research, Dr. Gupta has established the “Human Immune Monitoring and T-cell Assay” platform to accelerate vaccine development through advanced immunological assays. This platform played a pivotal role in Phase 3 trials for vaccines including India’s intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, iNCOVACC, the world’s first approved intranasal COVID-19 vaccine.
With over 50 scientific publications and several patents related to T-cell-based bioassays, T-cell based therapy and vaccine evaluation, Dr. Gupta’s work has earned recognition from esteemed organisations including the Merieux Foundation, European Federation of Immunological Societies, American Association of Immunologists, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Martin Villar Global Award. He also serves on key scientific task forces, industry advisory boards, and India’s National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), contributing actively to science-driven public health policy.
|
