Prof. Bénédicte Machiels’s research team: Focus on How viruses shape the long-term immunity of their hosts

An interview with Prof. Bénédicte MACHIELS,

Associate Professor of Immunology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at ULiège and the Faculty of Gembloux,

FNRS Research Associate

Could you tell us about your background and your research specialization?

I am a Principal Investigator and Associate Professor at the FARAH Institute, University of Liège. Since January 2020, I have led my independent research group as an ERC Starting Grant awardee. I completed my PhD as an F.R.S.-FNRS fellow in Immunology-Vaccinology at the University of Liège, focusing on host-pathogen interactions. My work mainly used gammaherpesvirus (γHV) models to study viral immune evasion and the lasting imprint of infection on host immunity.

During my PhD, I investigated γHV entry mechanisms, focusing on the role of glycans in the viral lifecycle and immune evasion. I demonstrated that γHVs use alternative splicing to regulate their tropism and evade antibody neutralization. This research resulted in publications (J Virol 2010; PLoS Pathog 2011, 2013) and the EUGENE YOURASSOWSKY PRIZE.

My postdoctoral work began at the Centre d’Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy (Prof. Toby Lawrence), studying IκB kinase alpha signaling in monocyte-driven inflammation, then continued at the University of Liège, where I initiated a new line of research with Prof. Laurent Gillet on viral imprint on host immunity.

What are the main findings of your research?

Together with Laurent Gillet, we discovered that γHV infection inhibits airway allergy by altering lung innate immune cells. Specifically, we showed that γHV infection induces the replacement of resident alveolar macrophages by monocytes that are pre-educated in the bone marrow to acquire regulatory functions. Published in Nature Immunology (2017) and Mucosal Immunology (2020), this work received the D and M JAUMAIN PRIZE.

Currently, my research focuses on how viruses educate monocytes that become tissue-resident macrophages. Key lines include: (1) how respiratory viruses reshape the alveolar niche; (2) how they induce central imprinting in the bone marrow; and (3) the long-term consequences for host immunity.