Department of Cellular Biology
Institut Cochin, Université Paris Descartes, INSERM

After a Ph.D. in Biophysics, Dr. Bomsel investigated the cell biology of mucosal tissue and mucosal antibody trafficking. She has been a key collaborator for Mymetics since 2004 and she has conducted over the last five years several research activities for evaluating the immune response triggered by the HIV-1 vaccine candidate in various animal models and she will also investigate this aspect on clinical samples from the coming Phase I trial.

Over the last 15 years, her laboratory has essentially focused on research study the early mechanisms of Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) entry at mucosal site and how mucosal immunity interfere with these mechanisms. She identifies transcytosis as one important mechanism of HIV entry at mucosal site and investigated the cellular and molecular interactions between HIV and mucosal cells. Her laboratory is focusing on one hand in deciphering the early events of mucosal (sexual) transmission of HIV and in the other hand, analyzing the mucosal antibody (IgA and IgG) response in HIV seropositive patients but also in HIV resistant individuals, namely HIV-1 exposed but  IgG seronegative subjects. To understand the initial steps of HIV entry at mucosal site, the laboratory is developing in vitro models based on primary cells and tissues for “assembling” cell layer(s) mimicking some mucosal tissues found in vivo. Such models are also used for studying the inhibitory potential of antibodies against HIV-1, as well as those induced by vaccination.