BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Dominic Paquin-Proulx obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Laval University, in Quebec City, Canada. His work focused on the effect of autoantibodies within intravenous immunoglobulins (IvIg) on B cells. Following the completion of his Ph.D. in 2010, Dr. Paquin-Proulx perform postdoctoral studies at Karolinska Institutet, in Stockholm Sweden, working on innate T cells (iNKT and MAIT cells) in the context of infections and immunodeficiencies. In 2015, He moved to the U.S., working as a Research Scientist at George Washington University in the lab of Dr. Douglas Nixon to continue his work on innate T cells in viral infections. His current research is focused on understanding the determinant of humoral immune responses, including interactions between B cells and innate immune cells, in the context of vaccination and natural infection as well as development of monoclonal antibodies as countermeasures against pathogens.
RESEARCH
Eliciting strong, persistent, functional antibody responses has been a major challenge for vaccine design for HIV and other infectious diseases, and the pathways that lead to durable responses remain unclear. Understanding how individuals naturally develop effective antibody responses will lead to exploiting these characteristics in the design of immunogens for effective vaccine strategies. The Functional ImmunoBiologics Section isolates monoclonal antibodies encoded on B cell receptors (BCRs), which provide vital information on the targeting and function of the responding B cells. We are also interested in understanding how innate immune cells such as Natural killer (NK) cells, Dendritic cells (DCs), Invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT), Mucosal Associated Invariant T (MAIT), and gamma delta T cells modulate adaptive immune response by responding to viruses, viral vector, or adjuvants. In addition, monoclonal antibodies are explored for their use as clinical tools for prophylaxis or treatment of disease, including engineering the constant part for increased Fc-mediated functions such as antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), phagocytosis (ADCP), and complement deposition (ADCD).
Another area of research of the Functional ImmunoBiologics Section is to uncover determinant of vaccine efficacy and of HIV acquisition. Using samples from pre-clinical or clinical studies, we assess binding antibodies, neutralizing antibodies, and Fc mediated function induced by vaccines as potential correlates of protection. Additionally, we are investigating how immune activation and exhaustion are impacting HIV acquisition.
Selected Publications
Rapid and robust immune response boosting with potent, next-generation adjuvant in viral vector-primed primates. King HAD, Subra C, Tourtellott E, Swafford I, Basu S, Rossman M, Phillips L, Obarorakpor N, Ding S, Ferrari MG, Beck Z, Lewitus E, Bai H, Dong M, Slike BM, Kim D, Dussupt V, Mendez-Rivera L, Eisel N, Zhang L, Williams LD, Tomaras GD, Finzi A, Matyas GR, Krebs SJ, Rolland M, Rao M, Paquin-Proulx D, Bolton DL. J Virol. 2026 Aug 18;100(8):e0038926. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00389-26. Epub 2026 Jul 27. PMID: 42505121
First-generation N-terminal domain supersite public antibodies retain activity against Omicron-derived lineages and protect mice against Omicron BA.5 challenge. Dussupt V, Jensen JL, Thomas PV, Mendez-Rivera L, Lal KG, Zemil McCrea M, Swafford I, Hernandez J, Sankhala RS, Rao M, Arora J, Hajduczki A, Jian N, Rees PA, Showell-De Leon I, Smith G, Smith L, Wasson D, Schmid A, Teng I-T, Zhou T, Kwong PD, Currier JR, Reiley WW, Paquin-Proulx D, Polonis VR, Collins ND, Michael NL, Joyce MG, Krebs SJ. mBio. 2025 Oct 8;16(10):e0103625. doi: 10.1128/mbio.01036-25. Epub 2025 Aug 29. PMID: 40882161
Machmach K, N’guessan KF, Farmer R, Godbole S, Kim D, McCormick L, Lima NS, Henry AR, Laboune F, Swafford I, Mike S, Slike BM, Currier JR, Eller LA, Ake JA, Vasan S, Robb ML, Krebs SJ, Douek DC, Paquin-Proulx D. NK cell activation and CD4 T cell a4b7 expression are associated with susceptibility to HIV-1. Journal of Clinical Investigations. 2025 May 8;135(15):e187992.
Griffith GL, Machmach K, Jian N, Kim D, Costanzo MC, Swafford I, Kundu G, Yum L, Bolton JS, Smith L, Slike BM, Bergmann-Leitner ES, Thomas R, Michael NL, Ake JA, Eller LA, Robb ML, Townsley SM, Krebs SJ, Paquin-Proulx D. CD16 and CD57 expressing gamma delta T cells in acute HIV-1 infection are associated with the development of neutralization breath. PLoS Pathogens. 2025. Jan 31;21(1) :e1012916.
Mdluli T, Slike B, Curtis DJ, Shubin Z, Tran U, Li Y, Dussupt V, Mendez-Rivera L, Pinyakorn S, Stieh D, Tomaka F, Schuitemaker H, Pau M, Colby D, Kroon E, Sacdalan C, de Souza M, Phanupak N, Hsu D, Ananworanich J, Ake JA, Trautmann L, Vasan S, Robb ML, Krebs SJ, Paquin-Proulx D*, Rolland M*. Mosaic vaccine induced antibody dependent cellular phagocytosis associated with delayed HIV-1 viral load rebound post treatment interruption. Cell Reports. 2024. Jun 7 ;43(6) :114344.
Dussupt V, Sankhala RS, Mendez-Rivera L, Townsley SM, Schmidt F, Wieczorek L, Lal KG, Donofrio GC, Tran U, Jackson ND, Zaky WI, Zemil M, Tritsch SR, Chen WH, Martinez EJ, Ahmed A, Choe M, Chang WC, Hajduczki A, Jian N, Peterson CE, Rees PA, Rutkowska M, Slike BM, Selverian CN, Swafford I, Teng IT, Thomas PV, Zhou T, Smith CJ, Currier JR, Kwong PD, Rolland M, Davidson E, Doranz BJ, Mores CN, Hatziioannou T, Reiley WW, Bieniasz PD, Paquin-Proulx D, Gromowski GD, Polonis VR, Michael NL, Modjarrad K, Joyce MG, Krebs SJ. Low-dose in vivo protection and neutralization across SARS-CoV-2 variants by monoclonal antibody combinations. Nature Immunology. 2021 Dec;22(12):1503-1514
Paquin-Proulx D, Lal KG, Phuang-Ngern Y, Creegan M, Tokarev A, Suhkumvittaya S, Alrubayyi A, Kroon E, Pinyakor S, Slike BM, Bolton DL, Krebs JS, Eller LA, Sajjaweerawan C, Pagliuzza A, Chomont N, Rerknimitr R, Chomchey N, Phanuphak N, de Souza MS, Michael NL, Robb ML, Ananworanich J, Sandberg JK, Eller MA*, and Schuetz A*. Preferential and persistent impact of acute HIV-1 infection on CD4+ iNKT cells in colonic mucosa. PNAS. 2021 Nov 16;118(46) :e210472118.
Om K*, Paquin-Proulx D*, Montero M*, Peachman K*, Shen S, Wieczorek L, Beck Z, Weiner JA, Kim D, Li Y, Mdluli T, Shubin Z, Bryant C, Sharma V, Tokarev A, Dawson P, White Y, Appelbe O, Klatt NR, Tovanabutra S, Estes J, Matyas G, Ferrari G, Alving C, Tomaras GD, Ackerman ME, Michael NL, Robb ML, Polonis V, Rolland M, Eller MA, Rao M, and Bolton DL. Adjuvanted HIV-1 vaccine protects against heterologous SHIV challenge and promotes antibody-dependent phagocytic responses. PLoS Pathogens. 2020. Sep 3;16(9):e1008764.
Colby DJ, Sarnecki M, Barouch H, Tipsuk S, Stieh DJ, Kroon E, Schuetz A, Intasan J, Sacdalan C, Pinyakorn S, Grandin P, Song H, Tovanabutra S, Shubin Z, Kim D, Paquin-Proulx D, Eller MA, Thomas R, de Souza M, Wieczorek L, Polonis VR, Pagliuzza A, Chomont N, Peter L, Nkolola JP, Vingerhoets J, Truyers C, Pau MG, Schuitemaker H, Phanuphak N, Michael NL, Robb ML, Tomaka F, and Ananworanich J. Ad26, MVA vaccines in acutely treated HIV: safety, immunogenicity and effect on viral rebound after ART interruption. Nature Medicine. 2020. Apr;26(4):498-501.
Lal KG, Kim D, Costanzo MC, Creegan M, Leeanshyah E, Dias J, Paquin-Proulx D, Eller LA, Schuetz A, Krebs SJ, Slike BM, Kibuuka H, Mangaga L, Nitayaphan S, Kosgei J, Bolton DL, Michael NL, Shacklett BL, Robb ML, Eller MA, and Sandberg JK. Dynamic MAIT cell response during acute HIV-1 infection with progressively enhanced innate-like features. Nature Communications. 2020. Jan 14;11(1):272