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Prof Albani Salvatore

Prof Albani Salvatore

​MD, PhD

SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre

Profile

Prof Albani's field of research is to understand and manipulate human immunity to improve one's health. He has developed a comprehensive technology platform which pivots on high dimensionality approaches, including cytometry, 10X single cell next generation RNA sequencing and in vitro functional modelling. We have developed Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to distill mechanistically and clinically relevant knowledge from the interfaces among these high complexity datasets and the clinical data. By leveraging on this platform, validated predictive modelling is developed. This platform enables fundamental progress in several translationally relevant, first in class scientific contributions, which span across disease areas ranging from Autoimmunity to Cancer.  It is important to emphasise the unifying conceptual framework to conceive mechanistic and therapeutic manipulations of the human immunome not as an intervention on discrete pathways which stand isolated and can be switched on and off, but rather as the sophisticated manipulation of a gradient of pathways and cell subsets which are inextricably interlaced, and can be modulated within a continuum of intensity, comparable to what a rheostat does to the intensity of lighting in a room. I look at the architecture of the Immune System and its therapeutic manipulation by evolving from fragmentation to a continuum gradient balanced on homeostasis and tilted by perturbations such as disease or even conventional therapy.

My contribution is to have conceived and evolved this concept to tangible applications. Each of the projects can bring a solution to unmet needs. Combined, the platform advances Science by looking holistically and with high dimensionality at mechanisms of immune imbalances, thus leading to the identification of novel immune therapeutic targets which we are developing for restoration of immune homeostasis. Some of the most advanced projects include: 1) Defining for the first time an AI-driven, high dimensional architecture of the healthy Immunome (EPIC), and assessing the effects of Disease as perturbations of this architecture; 2) Conceiving and developing Chimeric Antigen Receptor Treg (CARTreg) as an entirely novel approach to cellular immunotherapy of transplant rejection, graft versus host disease and systemic autoimmunity; 3) Conceiving and developing new composition of matter and next steps for the development to commercial fruition of a Phase IIb – ready, first in class immunotherapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis; 4) A theragnostic platform to predict the opportunity to withdraw patients with arthritis from biologics. My work has been published in most relevant Journals of high calibre (IF of 42 and 6885 citations), and generated a diverse portfolio of more than 100 patents. This work is the foundation of my entrepreneurial activities.

I am very active in education. Indeed, a most rewarding part of my professional life is to infect others with my passion for what I do, and to share my experiences, my successes and my failures.

Education

Professional Appointments and Committee Memberships

  • ​Co-founder and President of the Eureka Institute for Translational Medicine, an international organization focused on the advancement of Translational Medicine through research, education and policy shaping

Awards

Research Interests

​Immunology

Publications

The Extended Polydimensional Immunome Characterization (EPIC) web-based reference and discovery tool for cytometry data. Joo Guan Yeo , Martin Wasser , Pavanish Kumar, Lu Pan , Su Li Poh, Fauziah Ally, Thaschawee Arkachaisri , Amanda Jin Mei Lim, Jing Yao Leong , Liyun Lai, Kee Thai Yeo , elene Seck Choon Lee, Camillus Jian Hui Chua, Anis Larbi, Ma Shwe Zin Nyunt, Tze Pin Ng, Sabrina Chiesa, Marco Gattorno, Alberto Martini, Bhairav Suryakant Paleja, Charles-Antoine Dutertre, Jinmiao Chen , Katherine Nay Yaung, Swee Ping Tang, Sue Kheng Ng, Chee Fu Yung, Angela Yun June Tan, Shu Ying Lee, Florent Ginhoux and Salvatore Albani. Nat Biotechnology 38, 679–684 (2020). 21 May 2020. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-020-0532-1

 

An immunome perturbation is present in juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients who are in remission and will relapse upon anti-TNFα withdrawal. Jing Yao Leong,  Phyllis Chen,  Joo Guan Yeo, Fauziah Ally, Camillus Chua,  Sharifah Nur Hazirah,  Su Li Poh,  Lu Pan, Liyun Lai, Elene Seck Choon Lee, Loshinidevi D/o Thana Bathi, Thaschawee Arkachaisri, Daniel Lovell,  Salvatore Albani,. Annals of Rheumatic Diseases (ARD). 2019;78:1712-1721. https://ard.bmj.com/content/78/12/1712

 

Insights into the immuno-pathogenesis of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Judith Ju Ming Wong, Jing Yao Leong, Jan Hau Lee, Salvatore Albani, Joo Guan Yeo. Ann Transl Med 2019;7(19):504.
http://atm.amegroups.com/article/view/29655/25958

 

Single-Cell Analysis of Human Mononuclear Phagocytes Reveals Subset-Defining Markers and Identifies Circulating Inflammatory Dendritic Cells. Charles-Antoine Dutertre, Etienne Becht, Sergio Erdal Irac, Ahad Khalilnezhad, Vipin Narang, Shabnam Khalilnezhad, Pei Y. Ng, Lucas L. van den Hoogen, Jing Yao Leong, Bernett Lee, Marion Chevrier, Xiao Meng Zhang, Pearly Jean Ai Yong, Geraldine Koh, Josephine Lum, Shanshan Wu Howland, Esther Mok, Jinmiao Chen, Anis Larbi, Henry Kun Kiaang Tan, Tony Kiat Hon Lim, Panagiota Karagianni, Athanasios G. Tzioufas, Benoit Malleret, Joshua Brody, Salvatore Albani, Joel van Roon, Timothy Radstake, Evan W. Newell, Florent Ginhoux. Immunity. P573-589.E8. 2019 September 17.

https://www.cell.com/immunity/fulltext/S1074-7613(19)30334-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1074761319303346%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

Research Trials