Laboratory of Elias K. Haddad
Dr. Haddad’s laboratory studies humoral and cellular immunity in chronic viral infections. Dr. Haddad’s research is focused on three main research interests.
- Mechanisms driving memory B cell survival and persistence in HIV infection. As in chronic viral infections and cancers, virally infected cells interfere and deregulate memory B cell functions. This will lead to aberrant and dysfunctional immune responses. Our research is focusing on identifying the mechanisms leading to this aberrant (exhaustion or apoptosis) memory B cell responses in HIV infection.
- Study the molecular interaction between follicular helper T cells (TFH) and B cells in homeostatic and pathophysiological conditions. We have identified the transcription factor FOXO3a to be responsible for the memory B cell survival. Currently, Dr. Haddad’s research is focusing on identifying molecular signals originating from TFH that are capable of regulating FOXO3a pathway in memory B cells. In addition, Dr. Haddad is also focused on identifying whether TFH cells are dysfunctional during HIV infection and whether this defect would have major implications on antibody production.
- Analysis of age-related changes in human dendritic cell and monocytes subsets in response to pathogens. Immunosenescence due to ageing has been shown to be associated with immune defects. Thus aged individuals have lost their capacity to mount efficient immune responses to vaccines or infections. Currently, Dr. Haddad’s focus will be to perform systems analyses of the key innate immune players, Dendritic cells (DCs) and Monocytes (Mo), which have been shown to be central to communication between the innate and adaptive compartments of the immune system and to potentially harbor defects with aging.
Contact Information
Elias K. Haddad, Ph.D.
Associate member
Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida
9801 SW Discovery Way
Port St. Lucie, FL 34987
Tel: (772) 345-5689
Fax: (772) 345-0625
Email: [email protected]
Lab Members
Tel: (772) 345-5701
Fax: (772) 345-0625
Rafael Cubas, PhD, [email protected]
Talibah Metcalf, PhD, [email protected]
Summary:
The ultimate objective of Dr. Haddad’s research is to identify molecular targets associated with aberrant memory T cell responses that can be used in the design of therapeutic and preventative vaccines for chronic infections and cancers.
Publications
Associate member
Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida
9801 SW Discovery Way
Port St. Lucie, FL 34987
Tel: (772) 345-5689
Fax: (772) 345-0625
Email: [email protected]
Lab Members
Tel: (772) 345-5701
Fax: (772) 345-0625
Rafael Cubas, PhD, [email protected]
Talibah Metcalf, PhD, [email protected]
Summary:
The ultimate objective of Dr. Haddad’s research is to identify molecular targets associated with aberrant memory T cell responses that can be used in the design of therapeutic and preventative vaccines for chronic infections and cancers.
Publications
C. Riou, B. Yassine-Diab, J. Van grevenynghe, R. Somogyi, L. Greller, D. Gagnon, S. Gimmig, P. Wilkinson, Y. Shi, M. Cameron, R. Campos-Gonzalez, R.S Balderas, D. Kelvin, R.P. Sekaly and E.K. Haddad. Convergence of TCR and cytokines signaling leads to FOXO3a phosphorylation and drives the survival of Central Memory CD4+ T cells. J. Exp. Med. 2007; 204(1): 79-91. PMID: 17190839
van Grevenynghe J, Procopio FA, He Z, Riou C, Zhang Y, Gimmig S, Boucher G, Wilkinson P, Shi Y, Yassine-Diab B, Chomont N, Said EA, Trautmann L, El Far M, Boulassel MR, Routy JP, Haddad EK and Sékaly RP. Transcriptional factor FOXO3a controls the persistence of memory CD4+ T cells during HIV infection. Nature Medicine. 14(3): 266-74. PMID: 18311149
El-Far M, Halwani R, Said E, Trautmann L, Doroudchi M, Janbazian L, Fonseca S, van Grevenynghe J, Yassine-Diab B, Sékaly RP and Haddad EK. (2008). T cell exhaustion in HIV infection, Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS. 5(1):13-9. PMID: 18417030
Denis Gaucher, René Therrien, Nadia Kettaf, Bastian R. Angermann, Geneviève Boucher, Abdelali Filali-Mouhim, Janice M. Moser, Riyaz S. Mehta, Donald R. Drake III, Erika Castro, Rama Akondy, Aline Rinfret, Bader Yassine-Diab, Elias A. Said, Younes Chouikh, Mark J. Cameron, Robert Clum, David Kelvin, Roland Somogyi, Larry D. Greller, Robert S. Balderas, Peter Wilkinson, Giuseppe Pantaleo, Jim Tartaglia, Elias K. Haddad, and Rafick-Pierre Sékaly Yellow fever vaccine induces integrated multilineage and polyfunctional immune responses. J Exp Med. 2008 ;205(13):3119-31 PMID: 19047440
Trautmann, L, Janbazian, L, Chomont, N, Said, E, Gimmig, S, Bessette, B, Boulassel, M, Delwart, M, Sepulveda, H, Balderas, R, Routy, J.P, Elias K. Haddad and Sekaly, R.P. 2006. Upregulation of PD-1 expression in HIV specific CD8 T cells leads to reversible immune dysfunction. Nature Medicine: 12(10):1198-1202. PMID: 19372890
van Grevenynghe J, Procopio FA, He Z, Riou C, Zhang Y, Gimmig S, Boucher G, Wilkinson P, Shi Y, Yassine-Diab B, Chomont N, Said EA, Trautmann L, El Far M, Boulassel MR, Routy JP, Haddad EK and Sékaly RP. Transcriptional factor FOXO3a controls the persistence of memory CD4+ T cells during HIV infection. Nature Medicine. 14(3): 266-74. PMID: 18311149
El-Far M, Halwani R, Said E, Trautmann L, Doroudchi M, Janbazian L, Fonseca S, van Grevenynghe J, Yassine-Diab B, Sékaly RP and Haddad EK. (2008). T cell exhaustion in HIV infection, Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS. 5(1):13-9. PMID: 18417030
Denis Gaucher, René Therrien, Nadia Kettaf, Bastian R. Angermann, Geneviève Boucher, Abdelali Filali-Mouhim, Janice M. Moser, Riyaz S. Mehta, Donald R. Drake III, Erika Castro, Rama Akondy, Aline Rinfret, Bader Yassine-Diab, Elias A. Said, Younes Chouikh, Mark J. Cameron, Robert Clum, David Kelvin, Roland Somogyi, Larry D. Greller, Robert S. Balderas, Peter Wilkinson, Giuseppe Pantaleo, Jim Tartaglia, Elias K. Haddad, and Rafick-Pierre Sékaly Yellow fever vaccine induces integrated multilineage and polyfunctional immune responses. J Exp Med. 2008 ;205(13):3119-31 PMID: 19047440
Trautmann, L, Janbazian, L, Chomont, N, Said, E, Gimmig, S, Bessette, B, Boulassel, M, Delwart, M, Sepulveda, H, Balderas, R, Routy, J.P, Elias K. Haddad and Sekaly, R.P. 2006. Upregulation of PD-1 expression in HIV specific CD8 T cells leads to reversible immune dysfunction. Nature Medicine: 12(10):1198-1202. PMID: 19372890