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SUMMARY:Gillet Laurent\, FARAH ULiège "Immunity and Neuroinflammation"
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20250929T120000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20250929T130000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260617T182911Z
UID:indico-event-581@indico.giga.uliege.be
DESCRIPTION:Viral infections are increasingly recognized as key environmen
 tal drivers of chronic neurological and immune-mediated diseases. Recent p
 opulation-level studies have shown strong associations between viral expos
 ures and long-term risk of neurodegeneration\, with Epstein–Barr virus (
 EBV) identified as the most compelling risk factor for multiple sclerosis 
 (MS). At the same time\, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the neurolo
 gical consequences of viral infections\, as long COVID affects ~5% of pati
 ents and is often linked to EBV reactivation. Despite these observations\,
  the mechanisms by which viral infections shape long-term immune dysfuncti
 on and neuroinflammation remain poorly understood.\n\nOur preliminary work
  demonstrates that latent herpesvirus infection (MuHV-4\, a model for EBV)
  exacerbates neuroinflammation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyeliti
 s (EAE) through recruitment of highly inflammatory monocytes and is associ
 ated with profound remodeling of the brain CD8 T cell compartment. Similar
 ly\, after SARS-CoV-2\, long-term changes appear in microglial and brain C
 D8 T cells in MuHV-4 infected mice. Similarly\, we observed that patients 
 with evidence of EBV infection displayed an increased prevalence of neurol
 ogical manifestations\, including fatigue\, during the early weeks followi
 ng SARS-CoV-2 infection.\n\nIn the future\, by using preclinical models an
 d patient cohort studies\, we want to dissect how viral persistence and re
 activation reprogram monocytes and their crosstalk with T cells\, leading 
 to long-term CNS dysfunction. By identifying shared mechanisms across post
 -viral syndromes\, including MS and long COVID\, we aim to uncover novel t
 herapeutic targets and inform preventive strategies\, such as vaccination 
 or monocyte-directed interventions\, to mitigate chronic neuroinflammatory
  disease.\n\nBIO: Laurent Gillet is Professor of Veterinary Medicine at t
 he ULiège\, where he teaches animal viral diseases and leads a research 
 laboratory on virus–host immune interactions. He obtained his veterinary
  degree in 2001 and PhD in 2005 at ULiège\, followed by postdoctoral trai
 ning at the University of Cambridge (2005–2007) on murine models of gamm
 aherpesvirus infection. Returning to ULiège\, he was appointed Research A
 ssociate of the F.R.S.–FNRS in 2008\, Assistant Professor in 2012\, and 
 Full Professor in 2019. His research focuses on antiviral immunity and int
 erindividual variation in immune responses. Author of more than 125 public
 ations\, he has received several distinctions\, including the Princess Jos
 éphine Charlotte Research Prize in Fundamental Virology (2013).\n\nhttps:
 //indico.giga.uliege.be/event/581/
LOCATION:CRC B-30/0-000 - FLUOR (Big meeting room)
URL:https://indico.giga.uliege.be/event/581/
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