Coronavirus and Immunity: Basic and therapeutic Aspects
The corona virus outbreak was first reported on December 2019. Soon, the disease spread to the rest of the world, and the WHO has now declared it a pandemic. The virus is named as SARS-CoV-2 and the disease is called COVID-19. The virus has so far killed about 275,000 people.
Most of the damage in COVID-19 is actually caused by the immune system carrying out a ‘scorched earth defense’ to stop the virus. A better understanding of the immune response in Corona virus infection is therefore crucial. In the presentation, we will have an overview of the immune response in Covid-19, and look at the therapeutic and vaccine options.
About Srini Kaveri
Director, CNRS Bureau in India, Embassy of France, New Delhi
Director of Research, INSERM, Sorbonne University, Paris
Dr Srini Kaveri, received his Veterinary Medicine degree in India, and his Ph.D. at the Pasteur Institute, Paris. Dr Kaveri carried out his Post-doctoral research training in the University of California, San Diego, USA. He joined CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research) in 1990, where he has been leading an INSERM research team affiliated to the Sorbonne University, Paris. His research interests include immunopathology and immunotherapy with a special focus on autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. From February 2015, Dr Kaveri represents the French CNRS as the Director of New Delhi Bureau at the French Embassy.
In discussion with Ambika Anilkumar.
Being a trained chemist, Ambika obtained her PhD in cell biology from National centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore which is currently functioning as a National Covid research centre. Soon after obtaining her PhD degree in 2016, she joined St. John’s research institute in Bangalore to pursue her post doctoral research in diabetes where she helped in organising a team of scientists from University of Cambridge, NCBS and St. John’s medical college to work together in her project to understand type 2 diabetes. In 2018 she joined the Embassy of France in India as the scientific coordinator for the South zone aiding industry and academic cooperation.
Hailing from a clinical cell biology background Ambika is the scientific coordinator at the Embassy of France In India in charge of university and academic cooperations since 2018.