Lab Members
Antonio Bertoletti, M.D.
Professor,
Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School
Division Emerging Infectious Diseases, Singapore
Tel: + 65 6601 3574
Fax: + 65 6772 4112
Email: antonio@duke-nus.edu.sg
Skype: bertolettiaa
I trained as a specialist in Infectious Diseases and I have always been interested in the immunological control of persistent viral infections, particularly Hepatitis B (HBV).
During my research career, first in USA (The Scripps Research Institute) and then in Italy (University of Parma), I was the first to characterize hepatitis B virus (HBV)–specific human CD8 T cells in HBV infected patients (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 1991 88: 10445), and to define the effect of HBV mutations in HBV-specific CTL function (Nature 1994 369: 407-J. Exp. Med. 1994 180: 933)
I moved to London (University College of London) in 1997, where I pioneered the use of HLA-tetramers in HBV infected subjects and used them to characterize the role of HBV-specific T cells in viral control and disease pathogenesis (J. Exp. Med. 2000, 191: 1269 ,J. Exp. Med, 2002 195: 1089; J. Virol, 2004, 78;5707)
In 2006 I moved to Singapore, motivated by the opportunity to build on our understanding of HBV infection, a worldwide serious health problem that is over-represented in Asia and I became Director of Infection and Immunity Program at the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (A*STAR) until 2013, after which I joined as a Professor in the Emerging Infectious Disease Programme at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in the same year.
In my laboratory we characterized the impact of Asian HLA- class I profile and HBV genotypes on on HBV immunopathogenesis (J. Virol. 2008 82: 10986, Gastroenterology 2012, 43 :637; J Clin Invest. 2013 123(9):3766). Our current research focuses on the development of new immunological based therapies (TCR-redirected T cells, HLA-peptide specific antibodies) for the treatment of HBV and Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and the characterization of human intra-sinusoidal hepatic immune system.
Positions
- 1987-1989 Resident in the Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Parma, Italy
- 1989-1991 Research fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Frank Chisari, Scripps Research Institute
- 1991-1996 Assistant, Department of Infectious Diseases, Main Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
- 1996-1997 Senior Immunologist, MRC Laboratories, Fajara, The Gambia
- 1998-2001 Senior Lecturer in Medicine, Institute of Hepatology, UCLMS, London
- 2001-2006 Reader in Experimental Hepatology, Institute of Hepatology, UCLMS, London.
- 2006-2008 Principal Investigator, Singapore Institute Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
- 2008-2013 Director Infection and Immunity Program, SICS, A*STAR, Singapore
- 2013-present Professor, Program of Emerging Viral Diseases, Duke-Nus Medical School, Singapore
- 2013-present Research Director, Viral Hepatitis Unit, Singapore Institute for Clinical Science, A*STAR, Singapore
Research Fellow
Research Associate
(Senior)
Research Assistant
Research Assistant
PhD Student
PhD Student