Galit Alter received her PhD in experimental medicine from McGill University and is currently a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Over the past 2 decades her research has focused on developing cutting-edge technologies to dissect protective immune responses in humans across a range of infectious diseases, including HIV, Tuberculosis, malaria, influenza, etc, in autoimmune conditions, and even to understand the mechanism by which maternal immunity shapes early life in infants. Dr. Alter’s work has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of the protective role of both innate and adaptive immunity, leading to innovative strategies to guide vaccine and therapeutic design.
Driven by a deep curiosity about the cross-talk between the adaptive and innate immune systems, Dr. Alter pioneered the development of novel systems biology tools aimed at mapping the immense heterogeneity in humoral immune response and how antibodies leverage innate immune cells to fight against pathogens. Linked to machine learning, the development of “systems serology” led to the identification of both natural and vaccine induced correlates of immunity across a range of diseases. Morevoer, the recent development of a monoclonal antibody systems-based Fc-engineering strategy, further provides mechanistic insights into these unexpected roles of antibodies in directed innate immune control and clearance of infection. Dr. Alter recently completed a sabbatical leading Immunology Research at Moderna, harnessing automation, systems immunology and machine learning to dissect and guide mRNA vaccine design and development. Collectively, Dr. Alter’s innovative approaches have shaped the future of vaccine and monoclonal antibody design and influenced the field of immunology and therapeutic innovation.