Andreas Wack, PhD

Andreas Wack, PhD
Principal Group Leader
The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK

https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/labs/andreas-wack

Born and bred in Frankfurt, I studied in Konstanz, Brighton and Milan and did my PhD on thymocyte development at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) in Mill Hill in the north of London. I then moved to the research institute of Novartis Vaccines in Siena, Italy, where I worked on the modulation of human T and NK cell function by the hepatitis C virus, on human dendritic cells, the mechanism of action of vaccine adjuvants, and on next generation influenza vaccines. In 2009 I returned to academia, starting my own group at the NIMR that became part of the Francis Crick Institute in 2015. My lab is interested in the responses of airway epithelia and innate immune cells to respiratory viral infection and to viral-bacterial co-infection, aiming to identify determinants of immunopathology and protection. Our work has contributed the understanding of interferon action, describing unique and redundant roles of type I and type III interferons in antiviral responses, inflammation-driven pathology and lung epithelial damage and repair. My group also works on the long-term effects that acute infections have on lung immunity. ICIS is a fantastic organisation, and I have been an enthusiastic participant and occasional speaker at the meetings over the years, meetings that I try not to miss. I have served on the Nominations Committee since 2021 and appreciate the wonderful atmosphere, constructive work and global outreach of ICIS. To keep the society’s important mission going and further enhance diversity and inclusion from all corners of the planet and all walks of life, I am honoured to continue to contribute to the community of interferon and cytokine researchers on the Nominating Committee.