Sunil Kumar Saini

Sunil Kumar Saini is an Associate Professor and Groupleader at the Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark (DTU). His research focuses on Experimental & Translational Immunology, particularly the characterization of T-cell antigens, immunogenicity, and their applications in cancer immunotherapy and viral infections such as SARS-CoV-2 and Herpesvirus.

• University: Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
• Department: Department of Health Technology
• Academic Rank: Associate Professor

Dr. Saini's work intersects immunology, virolgy, and computational biology, with a strong emphasis on understanding antigen-specific T-cell responses in immunocompromised populations. His recent projects include investigating cancer-specific T-cell antigens, immune signatures in successful cancer immunotherapy, and human endogenous retroviruses as novel targets for immunotherapy, with active supervision of PhD students like María Sol Sánchez, Alessandra M. Pavlidis, and Zhao Zhao.

In 2024, Dr. Saini co-authored a chapter on antigen-specific T-cell characterization in viral infections and a groundbreaking study in Nature Communications leveraging machine learning in immunopeptidomics for COVID-19 vaccine development. His 2023 publications in Science Translational Medicine and Journal of Immunology explored the effects of mRNA booster vaccines on T-cell immunity in immunocompromised individuals, with a focus on the Omicron variant. Additionally, his work on Herpesvirus immunology in transplant recipients published in BMC Infectious Diseases highlights his contributions to transplant immunology.

Dr. Saini actively contributes to research in adoptve immunity, SARS-CoV-2 variants, and immune responses in cancer. His expertise aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health and well-being, particularly through his work on vaccination policies and immune adaptation in complex clinical scenarios.