Dr. Sékaly's research pioneered findings in HIV disease immune pathogenesis, immune virology and immunotherapies highlighting the impact of HIV infection on thymic output, T cell memory, mechanisms of CD4 and CD8 T cell dysfunction, and innate immunity and mechanisms of HIV persistence.

For over two decades, Dr. Sékaly's group has been focused on developing a better understanding of the human immune response to vaccines and to chronic viral infections with a specific focus on HIV infection. They have implemented the use of system biology approaches to monitor the diversity of memory T cell and to identify the mechanisms underlying the diversity of memory T cell subsets. They have pioneered the application of systems biology approaches to the understanding of mechanisms of action of the licensed vaccines and adjuvants. They have also shown for the first time the diversity of the mechanism that lead to the establishment and persistence of HIV in different memory T cell subsets.