January 2026 – Diary Juliannie NY MIORAMALALA
Diary Juliannie NY MIORAMALALA is originally from Madagascar and is currently a researcher at the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar. She attended the Immuno-Cambodia course in 2025 where she was one of the volunteer rapporteurs during the course. Diary also helped to compile the full participant report for the course from her peers. She joined the Immunopaedia Ambassador team officially this month.
Thank you, Diary! We are happy to have you on the team.
Read the Immuno-Cambodia Participant Report
Please introduce yourself and tell us about your journey in immunology research.
I am a research engineer with a passion for immunology, a journey that really took off during the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, I worked on understanding the serological background and adaptive immunity of populations, validating diagnostic tools across multiple centres, and comparing immunity across African countries. Our lab was reorganising its activities, and I found myself setting up new technical platforms—a challenge that quickly boosted my skills and confidence in the lab.
Over the years, I’ve been lucky to work on projects ranging from immune profiling and antibody responses to cellular immunology. These experiences have taught me the importance of patience, careful experimental design, and the power of combining data from multiple angles to understand the immune system.
What drives me most is translational research—taking discoveries from the bench to strategies that can prevent or modulate disease, especially in low-resource or endemic settings like Madagascar. My goal is to pursue a PhD in immunology, focusing on vaccines, allergies, and immune tolerance, and to use science to make a tangible difference in people’s lives.
We would love to hear more about your ongoing research. What projects are you currently working on, and how do they impact the field?
More recently, my research has focused on infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and plague, with particular attention to the interplay between host immunity and environmental factors.
Currently, I am involved in a project aimed at the immunological validation of innovative techniques designed to discriminate across the tuberculosis disease spectrum, from latent infection to active disease. Through immune profiling and biomarker analysis, this work seeks to improve diagnostic accuracy and to support the prediction of disease progression. Ultimately, this project aims to contribute to earlier and more precise TB diagnosis, which could have a significant impact on disease control and patient management.
Please tell us about your work on vaccine development and intervention strategies.
Our work in vaccine-related research does not focus on vaccine formulation or manufacturing. Instead, it is dedicated to identifying immune correlates of protection in human populations and elucidating the immunological mechanisms that underpin effective immunity.
By studying patients with distinct immune profiles, we aim to define immune signatures associated with natural protection or disease control. This includes the characterisation of antibody responses, cellular immunity, and functional immune markers.
These insights are essential for informing vaccine development and intervention strategies, as they help identify relevant immune targets, guide immune-based stratification, and support the design and evaluation of preventive or therapeutic interventions.
What inspired you to choose immunology as your focus within the field of science? Has this evolved over time?
Since the very beginning of my scientific training, starting from my undergraduate studies, I have been drawn to immunology. To me, it is one of the most inspiring fields in biology, as it seeks to understand the body’s natural defence systems, the “soldiers” of the organism and how they can be strengthened to protect the individual.
What continues to fascinate me is that these defences rely on a highly organised and finely regulated network that operates continuously to keep us alive. Despite constant external challenges, the immune system maintains balance and resilience daily, illustrating the existence of a remarkably efficient and well-defined protective system. Over time, this initial fascination has evolved into a deeper scientific interest in understanding immune mechanisms in the context of disease, prevention, and intervention strategies.
It is the International Women & Girls in Science Day on the 11th of February. What would you say to a young woman entering the field of immunology?
If you are a young woman considering a path in immunology: don’t hesitate; go ahead! Immunology is a science that touches every life, and it needs your sensitivity, your critical thinking, your persistence, and your courage. Your perspective and your energy are not just welcome; they are essential.
Remember also that immunology is not only in textbooks, it also lives in observations and experiments. Never forget the basics, but always keep in mind that what you hold in your hands in the lab could be new knowledge and meaningful results.
What specifically stood out about Immunopaedia that made you want to become an ambassador, and how has your experience as an ambassador affected you?
From a personal perspective, working in Madagascar can sometimes feel isolating from the global scientific community—and at times from the world more broadly. Immunopaedia serves as a gateway and a shared space where immunologists from diverse backgrounds feel connected.
It is a platform I turn to when I feel uncertain or need to re-anchor myself in the fundamentals and realities of immunology. Becoming an ambassador allows me to actively contribute to this community, to stay connected, and to remain grounded in the evolving, real-time landscape of science.
Can you share a moment of unexpected joy or surprise in your scientific career over the past three years that has stayed with you?
One moment of unexpected joy in my scientific career over the past three years was the publication of my first paper. While it was not cutting-edge science, it represented a substantial amount of work, requiring patience, resource management, endurance in the lab, and persistence. Seeing it finally published was incredibly rewarding and reminded me that dedication and consistent effort truly pay off.
Recent Publications:
SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies in Three African Countries Following Multiple Distinct Immune Challenges. Ny Mioramalala DJ, Ratovoson R, Tagnouokam-Ngoupo PA, Abessolo Abessolo H, Mindimi Nkodo JM, Bouting Mayaka G, Tsoungui Atangana PC, Randrianarisaona F, Pélembi P, Nzoumbou-Boko R, CotiReckoundji CSG, Manirakiza A, Rahantamalala A, Randremanana RV, Tejiokem MC, Schoenhals M.Vaccines (Basel). 2024 Mar 27;12(4):363. doi: 10.3390/vaccines12040363.
Multiple SARS-CoV-2 immunizations of an unvaccinated population lead to complex immunity. A T cell reactivity study of blood donors in Antananarivo. Razafimahatratra SL, Andriatefy OH, Ny Mioramalala DJ, Tsatoromila FAM, Randrianarisaona F, Dussart P, Schoenhals M. Journal of Infection and Public Health, 2023, 17(1), 175-181. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2023.11.020.
Development and comparative evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD and N based ELISA tests in various African endemic settings. Benabdessalem C, Hamouda WB, Marzouki S, Faye R, Mbow AA, Diouf B, Ndiaye O, Dia N, Faye O, Sall AA, Diagne CT, Amellal H, Ezzikouri S, Ny Mioramalala DJ, Randrianarisaona F, Trabelsi K, Boumaiza, M, Hamouda SB, Ouni R, Bchiri S, Chaaban A, Gdoura, Yousr Gorgi M, Sfar I, Yalaoui S, Khelil JB, Hamzaoui A, Abdallah M, Cherif Y, Petres S, Mok CKP, Escriou N, Quesney S, Dellagi K, Schoenhals M, Sarih M, Vigan-Womas I, Bettaieb J, Rourou S, Barbouche MR, Ahmed MB, Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease,Volume 105, Issue 4, 2023, doi : 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2023.115903.
