Yonatan Ganor

I performed my PhD studies between 2002-2006 at the Weizmann Institute (Rehovot, Israel) in the field of neuroimmunology, investigating immunity and autoimmunity to glutamate receptors. Subsequently, I turned my interest to the HIV-1 field, and performed my postdoctoral studies between 2006-2013 at the Cochin Institute (Paris, France), under the supervision of Dr Morgane Bomsel in her laboratory of ‘Mucosal Entry of HIV-1 and Mucosal Immunity’. During my postdoctoral studies I described the mechanisms of mucosal HIV-1 sexual transmission and reservoir establishment in the male genital tract, which are related to the current proposal. I was then recruited by the CNRS (‘Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique’), as a Research Associate in 2013, obtained my HDR (‘Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches’) degree in 2014, and was recently promoted to Research Director in 2022. Since 2017, I am directing an independent research group within the laboratory. My current research in the field of neuroimmunovirology combines my expertise in both neuroimmunology and mucosal HIV-1 transmission. My group is interested in the neuro-immune mechanisms that control transmission of mucosal viruses (including HIV-1, HSV and SARS-CoV-2), especially focusing on the anti-viral role of the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP).