Institut Pasteur

I am the head of the group FlavImmunity at the Institut Pasteur and coordinator of the EU Horizon project, Yellow4FLAVI. I have trained in Italy and Germany and worked in the United States and France. I am a molecular and structural virologist passionate about viruses, particularly Flaviviruses. The main ambition of my research group is to understand virus immunogenicity from a structural perspective, with particular attention to new emerging viruses. We use the yellow fever 17D vaccine as a model to understand Flavivirus entry, maturation, and antigenicity, focusing on the molecular determinants driving the conformational changes regulating these important processes. Using both cryo-electron microscopy on whole virus and functional assays, we propose that the structure of the YF17D particle plays a major role in determining the vaccine immunogenicity and it can be used as a model to design vaccines for other Flaviviruses. Our goal is to analyze the general paradigms governing Flavivirus antigenicity and maturation to establish pipelines and tools that will increase our framework of preparedness against new and re-emerging pathogens of global public health concern.

I am an European Project Manager with 10 years of successful experience in EU networks coordination, EU project development and management under various EU programmes. My career began in EU Public Affairs in Brussels, followed by a significant role at the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), where I managed the European Reference Network for Rare Vascular Diseases (VASCERN) for 5 years. My expertise extends to working with the innovation healthcare cluster Medicen Paris Region and EURORDIS, Rare Diseases Europe, where I served as Governance Senior Manager and led the EU Operating Grants, before joining the Institut Pasteur in April 2024. I am highly skilled in EU funding management, work plan piloting, network governance, project coordination, event organisation, and communication. I hold two Master’s Degrees in European Affairs from the College of Europe and Sciences Po Lille.

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I work with Yellow4FLAVI Coordinator and the Steering Committee to ensure the timely delivery of all project outputs. My responsibilities include managing transversal Work Packages such as communication & dissemination, coordination & management, and ethics requirements.

I am a virus-vaccinologist and postdoctoral researcher at the Institut Pasteur, contributing to the Yellow4FLAVI project, where I am exploring the structural basis of virus-host immunological interactions to guide next-generation flavivirus vaccine design. I am interested in uncovering the hidden strategies viruses use to outsmart the immune system and turning that knowledge into powerful vaccines—an exciting blend of detective work, innovation, and the potential to save millions of lives. Through the Yellow4FLAVI project, I aim to contribute to innovative vaccine development and deepen our understanding of flavivirus immunology, ultimately advancing global vaccine strategies and improving public health.

My journey into virology began with deep interest in viral structures and host immunity. During my doctoral training in India, I developed a multivalent subunit vaccine for dengue virus, integrating cutting-edge computational tools with in vitro and ex vivo experimental approaches. My work has been recognized at international conferences, peer-reviewed and supported by prestigious grants, including a Senior Research Fellowship from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and a Scientific Exchange Grant from European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).

I started my scientific career in Guatemala where my passion for vector-borne diseases started after obtained an undergraduate degree in molecular entomology. Afterwards, I came to France for my PhD  where I gain experience in microscopy and cellular biology. Next I decided to continue my passion for infectious diseases and thus pursuit 2 postodocs in France and Canada focus on the understanding of flavivirus-host/vector  interactions.

Now, I am lucky to join the Yellow4Flavi group as a Research Engineer since March 2024. My goal is to bring scientific feedback and technical support to gain understanding of the relationship between the viral particle epitope structure and antigen presentation as well as elucidate the molecular signature of the YF17D-immune response.

After finishing my Master degree at the Freie Universität Berlin with a specialization in molecular and cell biology, while developing a strong interest in viruses, I started my PhD at the Institut Pasteur. I am focusing on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which is responsible for virus-cell attachment and fusion. I want to understand how the evolution of the virus during the pandemic affected the spike structure and its function. Besides that, I am participating in the Yellow4FLAVI project, focusing on the production of flavivirus envelope protein needed to understand epitope exposure, antigen processing and serological characterization.

Dr Filippo Caremoli has been appointed as External Ethics Advisor to the Yellow4Flavi project on May 31st, 2024.

Dr. Caremoli obtained a PhD from Università degli Studi di Milano, with specialization in Physiopathology, Pharmacology, Clinical and Therapeutic Approaches to Metabolic Disorders. He was a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the University of California, carrying Biomedical research in molecular and neurogastroenterology, chemosensing of gut bitter taste receptors, neurochemical characterization of enteric neurons in colon and mechanisms underlying feeding disorders, obesity and metabolic dysfunction. Currently, he is a Occupational Health and Safety Employee at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, Italy, dealing with management and regulation of safety and authorization aspects related to research with biological agents and Genetically modified microorganisms, within the Hospital’s research laboratories and for research and clinical studies. In parallel, he is engaged into External Ethics expertise providing Review/Check/Follow-up for the European Commission.

He benefits from the following Safety certifications

• "Addetto e Responsabile del Servizio di Prevenzione e Protezione” [Employee or Manager of a Prevention and Protection Service] - Module A and Module B, delivered in July 2020 by the AiFOS - Italian Association of Occupational Safety Trainers and Operators (valid until June 2025).

• Professional Certification in Biorisk Management delivered in September 2022 by the INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF BIOSAFETY ASSOCIATIONS (valid until December 2027)