I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences in the Sultan Qaboos University. I am an editor and reviewer for several scientific journals. I performed my Ph.D. in “Institut Pasteur” in Paris and Paris 7 (Paris Cité) University. I was a Post-Doctoral Researcher then Research Associate in the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CR-CHUM). My research focuses on cytokines and innate immunity (innate APCs and TLRs, etc.) especially in viral infections.Scientific achievements:- Demonstrated the production of the cytokines and growth factors midkine and pleiotrophin by human innate antigen presenting cells (APCs), and that this happens in a diffferential manner.- Demonstrated that cell-surface nucleolin is the low affinity receptor of midkine and pleiotrophin.- Discovered sequences in hepatitis C virus (HCV) genomic RNA that stimulate the innate immunity via Toll-like receptors (TLRs) 7 and 8.- Identified a role for the protein PD-1 present on monocytes (HIV infection).- Defined the normal levels (reference range) of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the human blood.- Demonstrated the capacity of HCV to avoid the proper stimulation of the innate immune system.- Demonstrated that APCs can control endothelial cells proliferation through midkine.- Demonstrated that the innate immune cells in the liver have an inhibitory and a biased profile in HCV and HBV infections, respectively.- Documented that sleep deprivation affects some immune components.I also participated in the identification of an HIV domain that can elicit neutralizing antibodies and thus constitutes a vaccine candidate and the demonstration of the importance of PD-1 as a target to revert the exhaustion of T-lymphocytes in humans.Specialties: Immunology, Virology, HIV/AIDS, HCV/Hepatitis, TLRs, Cytokines, Chemokines, Dendritic cells, Monocytes, Macrophages, T-cells, Ligands-receptors interaction,