Julia García Prado

Dr. Julia García Prado is a Research Professor and Group Leader of the Immune Escape and Vaccines (VIRIEVAC) research group at IrsiCaixa, while concurrently serving as Scientific Director of the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP). She holds a Biochemistry degree and a PhD in Immunology (cum laude) from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Oxford under a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship. Her research focuses on T-cell immune exhaustion in HIV cure strategies, antiviral immunity in SARS-CoV-2, and vaccine development. She leads the European RBDCOV immunological monitoring group and participates in the ISIDORe project. Dr. Prado has authored over 60 peer-reviewed articles, registered three patents, and trained numerous students globally.

Education:

• Biochemistry, Autonomous University of Barcelona
• PhD in Immunology (with honors), Autonomous University of Barcelona

Research Interests: Her work bridges immunology and virology to address global health challenges. Key areas include:

• Mechanisms of T-cell dysfunction in chronic viral infections
• Development of immunotherapies targeting HIV latency
• Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 immune responses and biomarkers
• Optimization of multi-component vaccine strategies

Awards:

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship (2006)
• Miguel Servet Fellowship (ISCIII, 2009)

Collaborations & Funding: Her lab secures competitive grants and industry partnerships, supporting translational research. She chairs IGTP’s Scientific Advisory Board and serves on EATRIS-Spain’s board, fostering collaborative drug discovery efforts.

Labs & Teams: The VIRIEVAC group operates at IrsiCaixa, collaborating with institutions like CIBERINFEC and GESIDA-SEIMC to advance infectious disease research.