Sylvain Cardinaud is a Senior Research Scientist at the Dendritic Cells (DC)-based Vaccine Division of the Vaccine Research Institute (VRI) in France. The VRI, which consists of about 17 research teams, collaborates with a network of leading national and international scientists, clinical physicians, core facilities, and an innovative immunomonitoring platform. By bridging basic and translational research with patient associations and the socio-economic sector, the VRI accelerates vaccine development with the mission of creating effective vaccines against infectious diseases.
The VRI's extensive portfolio includes numerous vaccine candidates, some developed in partnerships, such as innovative fusion HIV/anti-DC vaccines. These candidates are currently in preclinical models (NHP) or phase I/II clinical trials. Leveraging VRI's expertise in targeting DC HIV candidate vaccines, Sylvain Cardinaud focuses on developing innovative vaccine antigens targeted to skin DCs, particularly Langerhans cells. These vaccines aim to rapidly induce virus-specific B- and T cell responses, providing immunity in both prophylactic and therapeutic settings. His team studies the immune responses and protection conferred by novel DC-based vaccine candidates in mice and NHP, addressing not only HIV but also emerging infectious diseases such as SARS-CoV-2, Nipah, and Ebola. Clinically, this project aims to demonstrate the efficacy and feasibility of DC-based vaccines in generating protective immunity.