PD Dr. Michelle Vincendeau

Michelle Vincendeau is a virologist exploring the biological and pathological roles of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), ancient viral sequences integrated into the human genome. After completing her PhD in Virology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 2011, she joined Helmholtz Munich as a postdoctoral researcher investigating signaling pathways that control immune responses. Her DFG-funded fellowship at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York, USA) in the laboratory of Lorenz Studer introduced her to stem-cell-based models of human brain development, a foundation for her current work on HERV-driven regulatory networks in development and disease. In 2017 she established her independent research group at the Institute of Virology at Helmholtz Munich, where she and her team investigate how HERV activation affects neuronal differentiation, cortical development, and immune modulation. She obtained tenure in 2021 and has served as Deputy Director of the Institute of Virology since 2022. In March 2026, she completed her habilitation at the Technical University of Munich.

Her research focuses on understanding the biological functions of human endogenous retroviruses and their role in human development and disease. Her group combines stem cell technologies, CRISPR-based genome engineering, and functional genomics to investigate how endogenous retroviral elements regulate gene expression, neuronal differentiation, and immune responses. Her work has demonstrated that activation of HERV-K can disrupt cortical patterning and neuronal differentiation in human stem-cell-based models. Additional studies from her group have shown that viral infections can reactivate endogenous retroviruses and modulate antiviral immune responses. More recently, her team has investigated the role of endogenous retroviral proteins in immune regulation during chronic viral infections.

Michelle’s research bridges virology, stem cell biology, and neurodevelopment. Her team develops experimental systems to dissect how ancient viral elements embedded in the human genome influence cellular identity and disease processes. Current projects in her laboratory focus on the functional role of HERVs in neuronal development, host–virus interactions, and the regulatory networks linking transposable elements with gene expression programs in human cells.