Juan C. Hernande obtained his Ph.D. in Basic Biomedical Sciences at Universidad de Antioquia, with an internship at the UMass Medical School, Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Laboratory of Eicke Latz. He is a professor at the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia (UCC) and Grupo Inmunovirologia (Universidad de Antioquia). His research interests include innate immune response and modulation by pathogens, such as HIV-1, Dengue, and respiratory viruses. In addition, the interactions of the immune system with air pollution and their consequences for inflammation, host cell functions, and pathogenesis of viral infectious diseases, are investigated.