Le Pen Lab
Our lab focuses on innate immunity to RNA viruses. The genomes of humans and other animals harbor genes that have naturally evolved to combat viral infections and promote health. Our goal is to identify these antiviral strategies shaped by nature and uncover their mechanisms of action.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
651 Huntington Avenue,
Building FXB, Room 205
Boston, MA 02115
Our Team
Jérémie Le Pen
Jérémie received his formal training in Genetics and Systems Biology at École Normale Supérieure in Paris, France. He then joined Prof. Eric Miska’s laboratory at the University of Cambridge, UK, as a graduate student, focusing on small RNA biology in C. elegans. His graduate studies coincided with the discovery of the first natural virus in C. elegans, providing him with a unique opportunity to contribute to early research on viral infection and antiviral immunity in nematodes.
In 2017, Jérémie joined virologist Charles Rice’s group at Rockefeller University, NY, as a postdoc. There, he worked on projects combining human genetics and functional genetic screens in cell cultures to better understand how the human innate immune system controls RNA viruses and live-attenuated vaccines. Charles Rice was awarded a Nobel Prize in 2020 but, despite what Jérémie’s mother believes, he had nothing to do with it.
Jérémie started his group in December 2024 at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases. He is now looking for people brave—or perhaps foolish—enough to join him in exploring the antiviral strategies that nature has evolved in animal cells.