Matthew James Gagne

I am an assistant professor and a mucosal immunologist in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Danderyd Hospital, Karolinska Institutet. My research focus is on the optimization of intranasal vaccines for the prevention of respiratory virus infections.

RNA viruses that infect the upper airway include routine pathogens that pose a substantial public health burden including rhinoviruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and seasonal influenza strains in addition to pathogens of greater concern such as highly pathogenic avian influenza and emerging coronaviruses. Nearly all vaccines against respiratory viruses are administered intramuscularly, despite the fact that these viruses initially infect and replicate within the airway mucosa. Delivery of vaccines to the sites where respiratory viruses replicate, and a better understanding of the unique mechanisms underlying upper airway immunity, would be advantageous not only against these circulating viruses but also would be essential to the prevention of future pandemics.