Elina Zúñiga is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology at the University of California San Diego School of Biological Sciences, a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, and co-founder and co-director of the Global Immunotalks. Her laboratory seeks to uncover fundamental principles of immune regulation, with a strong emphasis on understanding the biology and functional specialization of dendritic cells. Over the years, her group has made seminal contributions to defining the mechanisms that govern plasmacytoid dendritic cell type I interferon production and the subsequent silencing of this response following viral infection. Through integrated in vivo animal models, studies in human samples and systems-level approaches, her research aims to identify therapeutic targets and develop strategies to modulate dendritic cell function across diverse contexts, including infectious diseases, cancer, and chronic inflammatory disorders, ultimately advancing new avenues for immune-based therapies.