Sunil Kumar Saini

Project title

Adaptation of T cell immunity in viral infection and vaccination

What is your project about?

Our immune system enables us to defend ourselves from diseases. The immune system’s T cells are the body’s primary cell type for the elimination of viral infections. The composition of these T cells prior to an encounter with a new pathogen may determine their adaptation towards a pathogen-specific immune response. However, the complexity of this baseline state of the T cells and its influence on mounting an effective response is not yet understood. In this project, we will use SARS-CoV-2 as a model system to reveal how baseline T cell immunity shapes the immune response to a new pathogen and determine the factors that dictate T cell response in viral infection and vaccination. In this process will learn fundamental rules that govern the immune response and how they influence disease outcome and long-term immunity.

How did you become interested in your particular field of research?

I am a curiosity-driven person with an aptitude to understand biological processes at the cellular level. My current research field aligns with my interest in translational research. While training in several academic and industrial research environments, I found a strong inclination toward studying immune cells in human disease settings. Discover unique features of the human immune system using some of the most advanced tools in a laboratory setting and using this knowledge to improve or design new therapies that may benefit clinically is the most rewarding part of my work.

What are the scientific challenges and perspectives in your project?

In this project and my research group, we study a specific type of immune cell, called T cells. T cells represent huge diversity (106-107 types) because they defend us against a plethora of different pathogens. Studying such diversity is always challenging both in terms of available technologies and understanding their impact on a specific disease setting. Over the years I have collaborated with and developed some of the world-leading technologies and have studied T cells in different disease settings. With expertise in T-cell analysis and an established international research network of experts in clinical and experimental immunology, I believe we will be able to address these challenges and will get novel insights via meaningful discoveries.

What is your estimate of the impact, which your project may have to society in the long term?

As a species and society, we are constantly challenged by pathogens and diseases. For example, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused an enormous public health crisis and underscores the urgency of coming up with more than stop-gap solutions to future viral outbreaks. My project aims to understand how our immune system could influence the disease outcome when it encounters a new pathogen. The findings from this project may influence better vaccine design for current and future viral diseases and develop new treatment strategies for immunocompromised patients. With this project, we will also learn basic rules that govern an immune response. Such fundamental knowledge could be leveraged for therapeutic application in infectious diseases, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.

Which impact do you expect the Sapere Aude programme will have on your career as a researcher?

I aim to establish a research team that would become an international hub for cutting-edge research in human immunology. Sapere Aude funding paves the way to achieve this long-term goal. Since I have recently started as an independent researcher, recognition of excellence from the Sapere Aude program is an excellent opportunity to expand my research network, exchange research ideas at leading scientific forums, and attract talented researchers. In the immediate setting, Sapere Aude funding would enable me to expand and build my research group that would focus on some of the most ambitious research questions.

Background and personal life

I am from India. My childhood and early education years were spent in rural India, and later, moved and lived in several cities in India during my bachelor’s and master’s studies. I have a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Germany, and for the last seven years, I am living in Denmark with my wife and two daughters (seven and one years). I enjoy traveling, reading, and long walks in nature.