Davide Robbiani

Roles and Affiliations: Davide Robbiani is a Full Professor at the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) within the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences. He leads the Laboratory of Immunology and Infectious Disease at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) in Bellinzona, Switzerland. Previously, he held faculty positions at The Rockefeller University from 2009 to 2020.

Education:

• Medical Doctorate (MD), University of Bern, Switzerland (2000)
• PhD in Immunology, Cornell University, New York (2005)
• Postdoctoral training at The Rockefeller University under Michel Nussenzweig

Research Interests: Robbiani’s work focuses on:

• Immune responses to emerging pathogens (SARS-CoV-2, flaviviruses)
• Mechanisms of antibody-mediated protection and vaccine design
• Genomic instability in B lymphocytes and its role in cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma
• Role of enzymes like AID and RAG1/2 in DNA damage during immune responses

Key Contributions: His lab has pioneered studies on neutralizing antibodies against coronaviruses and flaviviruses, including Zika and tick-borne encephalitis viruses. He investigates antibody dynamics post-infection and vaccine responses, with a focus on Omicron variants and mucosal immunity.

Labs/Teams: Heads the Immunology and Infectious Disease laboratory at IRB, collaborating globally with researchers in South/Central America, Asia, and Europe to study emerging pathogens.