Dr Olivier Gasser

Biography

Dr Olivier Gasser completed his postgraduate degree in Biomedical Research at the University of Basel (Switzerland) in 2004. Following postdoctoral research at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland (2004-2006), Harvard Medical School, USA (2006-2009) and back to the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland (2009-2011), Dr Gasser joined the Malaghan Institute in 2011 to become a Senior Research Fellow in the Institute’s Vaccine Immunotherapy programme. In 2017, Dr Gasser was appointed as Translational Immunology Group Leader of our Nutrition & Microbiome research programme.

Research Interest

My research interests lie in the bidirectional communication between the immune system and host metabolism, with a strong emphasis on the gut and its resident microbes. My research group and I will ensure the Institute's research efforts will be a key pillar of the High-Value Nutrition National Science Challenge. In particular, my research will focus on novel mechanistic aspects of the human immune system that could provide immediate impact to the fields of immune health as it relates to cancer, inflammatory and infectious diseases. In essence, the Translational Immunology Research Group will aim at revealing the immune system’s evolutionary role as an environmental sensor, not purely restricted to pathogens but incorporating signals and stressors of metabolic origin, providing a distinct and holistic approach to disease prevention and cure.