People

Professor Vincent Piguet

Professor Vincent Piguet

Director, Division of Infection and Immunity

School of Medicine

Email:
piguetv@cardiff.ac.uk
Telephone:
+44 (0)29 2074 4721
Location:
UHW Main Building

In 2010 I was appointed Professor and Chair of the Department of Dermatology and Wound Healing at Cardiff University, Wales, UK and Honorary Consultant Dermatologist at the University Hospital of Wales. In 2011 obtained UK certification in Dermatology and in 2014 became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. In 2011 appointed Director of the Institute of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University and in 2015 Director of the Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University.

I have authored over 130 publications in the fields of dermatology, dendritic cells, HIV, gene therapy, immunology and vaccination in a range of highly cited peer review journals such as Cell, Immunity, The Lancet, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Blood, and Nature Medicine and received numerous grants (including from the Human Frontier Science Program and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) to further research including in the areas of psoriasis, melanoma and immunology.

I gave the ‘Rudi Cormane Lecture’ at the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) in 2014 and have given more than 100 lectures at national and international meetings, including at the World Congress of Dermatology. In 2014 received a merit award from the Society for Arts, Science and Technology in Wales, The Welsh Livery Guild.

 I am on the editorial boards of several journals, including the Journal of Investigative Dermatology and British Journal of Dermatology and was a previous President of the ESDR and currently Treasurer and President-Elect of the European Dermatology Forum.

  • 2014:   FRCP - London  
  • 2011:   Certified for entry on Specialist Register for Dermatology, UK
  • 2004:   Specialist Certification in Dermatology and Venereology (FMH Dermatology and Venereology) granted by the FMH (Swiss Medical Association)
  • 2003:   Privat-Docent, University of Geneva: Title: HIV and Immune Evasion: A Tale of Viral gene products and dendritic cells. Service de Dermatologie et Vénéréologie
  • 2002 (2004):   Examination in order to obtain specialist degree in Dermatology and Venereology (specialist in Dermatology examination) Specialist examination successful with the maximum grade of 6/6 in practical and written examination and 6/6 in oral examination. The examination is performed by the Swiss Society of Dermatology and Venereology (SSDV). http://www.derma.ch/derma/index.php
  • 2001: MD Thesis: Title: Nef et destruction des récepteurs CD4 et MHC I, No 10230. Thèse de doctorat médecine, Genève Directors : Prof D. Trono, Prof J.L. Carpentier Prof J.L. Carpentier, Dépt. Morphologie, Faculté de Médecine
  • 2000:   PhD in biology, University of Geneva. Title: Nef et down régulation des récepteurs CD4 et MHC I, No 3144 Doctorat ès sciences, mention biologique, Genève Directeurs : Prof D. Trono, Dépt. Génétique et Microbiologie Prof J.L. Carpentier, Dépt. Morphologie, Faculté de Médecine
  • 1998:   Certificate (Masters) in Molecular Biology, University of Geneva
  • 1995:   Medical Degree, University of Geneva (6 years programme) (European Primary Qualification, Diplôme fédéral de médecin, (federal diploma of doctor) awarded by the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA)
  • 1991 – 1995:   University of Geneva, School of Medicine
  • 1994:   Certificate in Tropical Medicine, University of Geneva
  • 1989 – 1991:   University of Lausanne, School of Medicine
  • 1989:   Swiss Baccalaureate in Science (High School Degree) 

 

  • 2015:   Director, Division of Infection & Immunity.
  • 1/7/2011-2015:   Director, Institute of Infection & Immunity. 170 FTE + 70 PhD/MD Students. Cardiff University, School of Medicine.
  • 1/8/2010:   Professor of Dermatology and Head of Department of Dermatology and Wound Healing, Cardiff University, School of Medicine.
  • 1/8/2010:   (Honorary) Consultant Dermatologist at the Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Wales
  • 2010:   Consultant - University Hospital of Geneva, Department of Dermatology
  • 2009:   Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital of Geneva
  • 2003-2009:   Professeur Adjoint Suppléant (Professor SNF), joint appointment in Dept of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine “Affilié Clinique”, University of Geneva Medical School
  • 2004-2008:   Project Leader for NCCR oncology: Melanoma Genomics
  • 2003 – 2009:   Associate Physician (Honorary Consultant) - Dermatology Department University Hospital of Geneva
  • 2003 – 2009:   Clinical and Research Assistant Professor SNF - Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital of Geneva
  • 2001 – 2003:   Senior Specialist Registrar, Clinician-researcher - Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital of Geneva.
  • 1999 – 2001:   Specialist Registrar (SpR) post, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital of Geneva.

Honours and awards

  • ACCEA (NHS Bronze Award) (2014)
  • Merit Award, Worshipful Livery Company of Wales, the Society of Arts and Science in Wales (2014)
  • FRCP London (2014)
  • Appointed Honorary Professor of China Medical University (2012)
  • Human Frontier Science Program Grant Award. Infectious Synapse and Transmission of Disease Primary recipient (coordinator) (2006)
  • Leenaards Prize for research (primary recipient “Global analysis of the melanoma transcriptome for the development of new anti-cancer vaccines” (2004)
  • Professor SNF position: “The Role of Dendritic Cells in HIV pathogenesis” (2003)
  • Pfizer prize for research in infectious diseases: “HIV-1 Nef and Immune Evasion: Towards a better understanding of HIV” (1998)
  • MD-PhD Grant from the Swiss National Foundation for Science (FNRS) (1996 – 1999)
  • Scholarship and Member of Foundation for Talented Students, Zürich (1995 – 1996)
  • Scholarship from Janggen-Pohn Foundation, St-Gallen (1995 – 1996)
  • Valedictorian (Award for General Merit and Excellence) (1989)

Professional memberships

  • General Medical Council (GMC)
  • British Association of Dermatologists (BAD)
  • Royal College of Physicians (RCP)
  • British Medical Association (BMA)
  • British Society for Investigative Dermatology (BSID)
  • European Dermatology Forum (EDF)
  • Swiss Society of Dermatology and Venereology (SSDV-SGDV)
  • FMH (Swiss Medical Association)
  • European Society of Dermatology and Venereology (ESDR)
  • American Society of Microbiology (ASM)
  • International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI)
  • European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV)
  • European Dermatology Forum (EDF)

Academic positions

                        

  • 2003-2009            Professeur Adjoint Suppléant (Professor SNF), joint appointment in Dept of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine “Affilié Clinique”, University of Geneva Medical School
  • 2004-2008            Project Leader for NCCR oncology: Melanoma Genomics ( http://www.nccr-oncology.ch/ )
  • 2003 – 2009         Clinical and Research Assistant Professor SNF - Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital of Geneva
  • 2001 – 2003         Senior Specialist Registrar, Clinician-researcher - Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital of Geneva.
  • 1999 – 2001         Specialist Registrar (SpR) post, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital of Geneva.

Speaking engagements

 

  • Hamamatsu University, Japan: Skin and Viruses, complex interactions (2015)
  • Yamanashi University, Japan: severe skin diseases: Implications of basic discoveries. (2015)  
  • ESDR, Rotterdam, oral presentation (2015)  
  • EADV Congress, Copenhagen – Invited Speaker (2015)  
  • BAD meeting, Apremilast for Psoriasis: Results from clinical trials (2015)  
  • World Congress of Dermatology Invited Speaker (Best of British Dermatology) (2015)  
  • Cardiff: Update on Secukinumab for psoriasis. Sponsored symposium (2015)    
  • Bordeaux University (Centre of Reference for Rare Diseases of the Skin) - Guest Lecturer (2015)  
  • WMA Meeting Cardiff – Session Chair/Speaker. HIV and Dendritic Cells (2015)  
  • ESDR – Invited Speaker Named Lecture ‘Rudi Cormane Lecture’ – ‘Deciphering the battle between viruses and the skin immune sysem’ (2014)  
  • Geneva University – Guest Lecturer (2014)  
  • German Primate Centre, Gottingen, Germany – Invited speaker (2014)  
  • Pharmacy, Cardiff University – ‘HIV and Skin’ (2014)  
  • Dowling Club – ‘HIV and the Skin’ (2013)  
  • FASEB Membrane Organisation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville – HIV interactions with tetraspanin-rich compartments in dendritic cells (2013)  
  • The Charles Institute, Dublin University – Vituses and the skin immune system (2013)  
  • China Medical University, Shenyang – Invited speaker: From virus to tumour, from etiology to protection (2013)  
  • Division of Infection & Immunity UCL – Invited speaker: Dendritic Cell – T cell transmission of HIV across the virological synapse (2013)  
  • Fondation René Touraine – Scientific Meeting, Paris: Session Co-Chair and Invited Speaker Langerhans cells in viral infections (2012 )  
  • ESDR ‘Academy for Future Leaders in Dermatology’, Barcelona – Invited Lecturer Viruses and Skin Dendritic Cells - With a Personal Touch (2012)  
  • PCDS Autumn Meeting, Cardiff: Invited Speaker Differential Diagnosis of Rashes (2012)  
  • BLIZARD Annual HIV Symposium, United College London: Invited Speaker   The role of dendritic cells in HIV infection (2012)  
  • Eastern Asia Dermatology Conference, Beijing: Invited Speaker SL1 Mucosal Transmission and Mucosal Manifestations of HIV (2012)  
  • Pasteur Institute, Paris: Invited Speaker   HIV transmission across the DC-T§ cell infectious synapse (2012)  
  • Dundee University: Invited Speaker The Role of Dendritic Cells in Infection and Cancer (2011)  
  • ESDR - Future Leaders, Lisbon – Invited Lecturer   Meeting Digest (2011)  
  • Keystone HIV, Whistler: Speaker Superresolution of HIV tetherin interactions (2011)  
  • EDF, Luzern: Speaker/Moderator What is the future of academic dermatology in Europe (2011)  
  • Cardiff Dermatology Academic Afternoon: What is new in Dermatology (2011)  
  • Bristol-Cardiff SpR Registrar Training Day (Dermatology), University Hospital of Wales. Guest speaker, Skin manifestations of HIV infection   (2010)  
  • Bristol-Cardiff SpR Registrar Training Day (Immunology), University Hospital of Wales. Guest speaker, Skin manifestations of Lupus Erythematosus (2010)  
  • Cardiff Dermatology Course: Eczema (2010)  
  • 6th Annual Grand Challenges in Global Health Meeting, Seattle   HIV-1 impairs early innate and adaptive immune responses in dendritic cells (2010)  
  • European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, Chair, What’s new in Dermatology            (2010)  
  • Best of Dermatology and Venereology, Nice, What’s new in Dermatology? (2010)  
  • Swiss Virology Meeting: Speaker: Mechanisms of DC-T cells infectious synapse formation (2010)  
  • University of Newcastle: Invited Speaker   (2010)  
  • Society for Investigative Dermatology. Atlanta. Scientific and financial report of activities of ESDR (2010)  
  • Organizer and speaker: Meeting at the Gates Foundation (Seattle, USA) Role of Dendritic cells in the development of anti-HIV vaccines   (2009)  
  • UCD, Dublin, Charles Institute Seminar Series: invited speaker: Serious skin diseases: Integrating new concepts of basic research into a clinical perspective (2009)  
  • Keystone HIV meeting: HIV and dendritic cells. Invited speaker (2009)  
  • Dermatology, Geneva: Aching Alopecia due to Horton’s disease (2009)  
  • Geneva, course on vulvar diseases: Ulcers in the vulvar area (2009)  
  • Lectures of Internal Medicine, HUG: Cutaneous lymphoma: epidemiology and management (2009)  
  • Conference of Geneva dermatologists: Skin manifestations of HPV infection (2008)  
  • Tricontinental investigative dermatology meeting (IID 2008, Japan), chair: Innate immunity and infection (2008)  
  • Swiss Society of Dermatology, Annual Meeting: Case reports: Unusual Cutaneous lymphomas (B and T) (2008)  
  • EMBO Meeting: Host-pathogens interactions speaker (2008)  
  • Organizer and speaker: Sexually Transmitted Infections Workshop (Morges), Management and Treatment of Syphilis (2008)  
  • Swiss Congress of Internal Medicine. Chair and speaker. Sexually Transmitted Infections: an update (2008)  
  • Swiss Congress of Dermatology: Melanoma genomics (speaker)   (2007)  
  • Swiss Society of Dermatology, Annual Meeting: Case reports: Hidradenitis, Livedos   (2007)  
  • 21st World Congress of Dermatology, Buenos Aires, (Chair and speaker) HIV infection, Viral Diseases of skin   (2007)  
  • University of Zurich, Dermatology Dept. host: T.Kundig. Mechanisms of two serious diseases involving the skin: HIV mucosal transmission and Melanoma   (2007)  
  • European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (Vienna): Serious skin complications of viral infections   (2007)  
  • Dermatology, Geneva: Tungasis and Dermoscopy   (2007)  
  • Paris HFSP meeting. Organizer, HIV and Infectious Synapse   (2007)  
  • Cochin Hospital, Symposium "The parallel universe of tetraspanins”, invited speaker   (2006)  
  • International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI) meeting Chairman: Microbicides  (2006)  
  • Swiss Society of Dermatology and Venereology: chairman. Case reports (2006)
  • Swiss Society of Dermatology, Annual Meeting: Case reports: Skin infection by atypical mycobacteria (2006)  
  • Innsbruck. Austrian HIV society. Invited speaker. HIV internalization in DC (2006)  
  • Dusseldorf. German Gene Therapy society. Invited speaker Obstacles to HIV genetic modifications of Dendritic Cells (2006)  
  • Geneva University Hospital, Internal Medicine meeting, Oral leukoplakia (2006)  
  • Annual Meeting of the European Society for Dermatological Research, Chairman: Epidemiology, infections and skin (2006)  
  • Geneva, Internal medicine meeting: The spectrum of Adverse drug reactions (2006)  
  • Cold Spring Harbor meeting: retroviruses: Restriction in DC  (2006)  
  • The Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, The Rockefeller University, New York. Host: P. Bieniasz. Virological Synapse and HIV transmission (2005)  
  • HUG, Geneva, Astra conference: Cellulitis and other common skin infections (2005)  
  • Keystone, HIV pathogenesis meeting, Banff, Canada. Trafficking of HIV-1 to the Dendritic Cell-T cell Infectious Synapse Uses DC-SIGN and the Pathway of Tetraspanin Sorting to the Immunological Synapse (2005)  
  • Annual Meeting of the European Society for Dermatological Research, Tubingen, Germany. Post-graduate course: Virus-host cell interactions Oral presentation: Analysis of HIV-1 replication in Dendritic Cells (2005)  
  • Geneva University Hospital, Internal Medicine meeting: Vaccine against Herpes Zoster ? (2005)  
  • 9th Langerhans Cells Meeting, Madeira, Portugal. Trafficking of HIV-1 to the Dendritic Cell-T cell Infectious Synapse Uses DC-SIGN and the Pathway of Tetraspanin Sorting to the Immunological Synapse (2005)  
  • Innsbruck Medical University Fritz-Preglstr. Austria. Host: Prof H.Stoiber. Dendritic cells, microbicides and Virological Synapse (2005)  
  • CARD Brest. Plenary lecture: Dendritic cells, Microbicides and Virological Synapse (2005)  
  • Geneva Hospital, Internal Medicine meeting: Livedo and stroke, a case report and review (2005)  
  • EADV Sofia. Plenary Speaker: Skin manifestations of HIV infection. (2005)  
  • IRB, Bellinzona. Host: Prof A. Lanzavecchia. DC-SIGN-Mediated Infectious Synapse Formation Enhances Transfer of HIV Infection from Dendritic Cells to T Cells     (2004)  
  • Annual Meeting of the European Society for Dermatological Research. DC-SIGN-Mediated Infectious Synapse Formation Enhances Transfer of HIV Infection from Dendritic Cells to T Cells (2004)  
  • Keystone, HIV pathogenesis meeting, Whistler, Canada. DC-SIGN-Mediated Infectious Synapse Formation Enhances Transfer of HIV Infection from Dendritic Cells to T Cells (2004)  
  • European Dermatology Forum, Rome. Chair and Speaker: Cutaneous Lupus Etythematosus (2004)  
  • Vaud-Geneva Dermatology meeting (DURDV): Absidia Corymbifera infection of the skin (2004)  
  • 19th congress on Sexually Transmitted Infections, Mykonos, Greece DC-SIGN-Mediated Infectious Synapse Formation Enhances Transfer of HIV Infection from Dendritic Cells to T Cells; Lentiviral-mediated RNA interference of DC-SIGN delineates a crucial role for DC-SIGN in HIV binding and transmission to T cells. (2004)  
  • 1st Swiss Meeting on HIV basic Research, Crans-Montana. Organizer and Chairman of session “Virus-cells interactions” (2004)  
  • Institut Pasteur, Paris. Host: Prof O. Schwartz. The role of dendritic cells in HIV pathogenesis (2004)  
  • Swiss Society of Dermatology, Annual Meeting: Mucosal transmission of pathogens   (2003)  
  • Dermatology, Geneva: Update on the treatment of herpes zoster (2003)  
  • Rockefeller University, New-York. Host: Prof R. Steinman. HIV immune evasion: a tale of dendritic cells and viral gene products. (2003)  
  • Langerhans Cells Meeting, Tokyo, Japan. Lentiviral-mediated RNA interference of DC-SIGN delineates a crucial role for DC-SIGN in HIV binding and transmission to T cells. (2003)  
  • Institute of Experimental Immunology, University Hospital Zurich. Host: Prof H. Hengartner/ Prof R. Zinkernagel. The role of dendritic cells in HIV pathogenesis (2003)  
  • Dermatology, Geneva: Smallpox and its vaccine (2003)  
  • University of Geneva. Lecture for Privat-Docent: HIV immune evasion: a tale of dendritic cells and viral gene products. (2003)  
  • Annual Meeting of the European Society for Dermatological Research. Chair: Skin Gene Therapy Session: V. Piguet, J. Vogel. Lentiviral vectors: gene therapy tools for dendritic cells (2002)  
  • Dermatology, Geneva: Tropical skin diseases: case reports from the department (2002)  
  • 18th Congress on Sexually Transmitted Infections, Vienna. Interactions between HIV and dendritic cells (2002)  
  • Annual Meeting of the European Society for Dermatological Research. Interactions between HIV and dendritic cells: turning the pathogen into a DC-specific vector (2002)  
  • Department of Dermatology, university Hospital of Zürich. Host: F. Nestlé. HIV Immune Evasion: A role for dendritic cells and viral gene products (2002)  
  • Department of Dermatology, Erlangen, Germany. Host: L.Jenne, G.Schuler, A.Steinkasserer. HIV Immune Evasion: A role for dendritic cells and viral gene products (2002)  
  • Swiss Society of Dermatology, Annual Meeting: Case reports: pyogenic granulomas   (2001)  
  • Department of Dermatology, UCSF, USA. Host: E. Epstein. Dendritic cells: the first line of defense of the immune system in the skin (2001)  
  • NIH, Dermatology Branch, USA. Host: S. Katz, A. Blauvelt. HIV and dendritic cells (2001)  
  • Geneva, Dermatology department monthly clinical meeting: Pseudoxanthoma elasticum: An update. (2001)  
  • Gladstone Institute for Virology, UCSF, USA. Host: W. Greene. HIV Immune Evasion: A Game of Hide and Seek (2001)  
  • Harvard Medical School. Host: D. Knipe. The lentiviral Nef protein: Driving CD4 and MHC-I to the Dead Man’s Curve (2001)  
  • NIH, NIAID. Host: M. Lenardo. HIV-1 and immune evasion (2000)  
  • Skirball Institute, NYU. Host: D. Littman. Mechanisms of immune evasion of HIV-1 (2000)  
  • Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York. Host: P. Palese, B. Pogo. Viruses as manipulators of the immune system: the Nef affair (2000)  
  • Exonhit therapeutics, Paris. Host: B. Toque. Diagnostic procedures in skin cancer and potential gene 2000                La Jolla Institute for allergy and immunology. Host: C. Ware. The Nef affair (2000)  
  • Pfizer Prize ceremony, Zürich. HIV-1 Nef and destruction of the CD4 receptor (2000)  
  • University hospital of Toulouse, France. Host: S. Boulingez. The role of videomicroscopy approaches in melanoma screening (2000)  
  • UCSF, San Francisco. Host: F. Brodsky. Nef, a tool to understand trafficking pathways (1999)  
  • OHSU, Portland, USA. Host: Gary Thomas. The lentiviral Nef protein: paving a perilous pathway for CD4 and MHC (1999)  
  • Wistar Institute, University of Pennsylvania. Host: L. Montaner. Nef and immune evasion (1999)  
  • Cold Spring Harbor HIV meeting. Nef and the COP-I coatomer (1999)  
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Committees and reviewing


School Executive Board

External Committees

Dermatology Specialist Registrar Advisory Committee for Wales

Pharma Advisory Committees  
  Pfizer (UK)
  Abbvie (UK)
  Janssen (UK)
   Novartis (UK)
  Almirall (European Scientific Advisor)
  Amgen (UK)
  UCB (UK)
  Celgene (UK)

BSF Large Grants Committee

Executive Committee Board Member of the European Society for Dermatology Research

President Elect of the EDF (European Dermatology Forum) 2017-2019