Dr. Manel Essaidi-Laziosi specializes in respiratory viruses. She holds a degree in bio-industry engineering (INSAT and Institut Pasteur, Tunis, Tunisia), a master's degree in Cell and Integrative Biology (Institut Jean Roget, Grenoble, France), and a Ph.D. in Biology (Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland).

She joined the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine in 2008, where her interest in virology began with fundamental research projects during her doctoral thesis, and later translational research, thanks to the Marie-Heim Vögtlin grant from the Swiss National Fund in 2015. She has since gained extensive expertise in various respiratory viruses (including rhinoviruses, enteroviruses, influenza, pneumoviruses, and coronaviruses) and the study of virus-virus and virus-host interactions using relevant in vitro and ex-vivo models to mimic acute and persistent respiratory infections, either with a single virus or in the context of coinfections. Manel Essaidi-Laziosi is currently involved in the development of new sophisticated models (3D and/or co-culture). Through collaborations with other research teams in vaccinology, gynecology, and pediatrics, her goal is to expand her investigations to other respiratory and emerging viruses, additional cellular models (such as immune cells and placental cells), and to cover more clinical aspects.

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