Biography
Dr. Altfeld is the Director of the Program for Innate Immunity at the Partners AIDS Research Center (PARC) and the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. He received his M.D./Ph.D. from the University of Cologne in Germany in 1997, and subsequently worked as a Resident in the Department of Medicine at the University of Bonn. After receiving his Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H) at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, he joined PARC as a research fellow in 1999, and became a member of the faculty in 2001.
Dr. Altfeld’s research is directed towards the characterization of innate and adaptive immunity in viral infections, with focus on acute HIV-1 and Influenza infection. The aim of this research is to understand the correlates of protective immunity in viral infections, and in particular, how the initial activation of the innate immune system by pathogens shapes the quality of the adaptive immunity.
The long term goal is to harness innate immunity for the development of protective vaccines. Dr. Altfeld’s laboratory maintains close collaborations with the HIV-1 Pathogenesis Program at the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu Natal, in Durban, South Africa; and the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Tangdu Hospital, 4th Military Medical School, in Xi’an, China, where he also serves as a Visiting Professor.
Dr. Altfeld is as a member of the American Association of Clinical Investigation, the NIH Plan for HIV-1 Related Research Etiology and Pathogenesis Planning Group (FY 2006-2009), the Harvard University Center for AIDS Research Executive Committee, and the Harvard Medical School Immunology Graduate Program.
Abstract
Innate Immunity in HIV-1 Infection
Current efforts to develop an HIV-1 vaccine have failed, and basic research beyond traditionally studied adaptive HIV-1-specific immunity is required to identify the immune correlates of protection against HIV-1. The first line of defense against infections consists of a highly organized innate immune response, and the aims of the proposed research program are to define the mechanisms by which the innate immune system senses HIV-1, contributes to the control of viral replication, and influences the function of the subsequently developing adaptive immune response.
In response to the identified needs to facilitate translation of advances in the understanding of the human innate immune system’s involvement in the control of HIV-1 infection into clinical practice, Dr. Altfeld has built an Innate Immunity Program between MGH in Boston and the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. The program is aimed at training physician-scientists in the evolving field of innate viral immunity, and at translating laboratory research advances into clinical trials that will evaluate interventions targeting the innate immune system to enhance anti-HIV immunity.
The specific hypotheses addressed in this research program are:
- HIV-1 can be directly recognized by receptors of the innate immune system;
- Innate effector cells, in particular NK cells, directly mediate control of HIV-1 replication;
- The innate immune system shapes the function of adaptive HIV-1 immunity, and the virus directly interferes with this process, resulting in T cell dysfunction; and
- Innate immunity can be modulated in humans to enhance the antiviral activity of HIV-1-specific adaptive immunity. The ultimate goal of this program is the rational development of protective HIV-1 vaccines that exploit the antiviral activity of innate immunity.
The Doris Duke award will also support research training for medical students and young physician-scientists to work with Dr. Altfeld and his team both at Harvard Medical School and at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa.