Despite advances, seasonal influenza continues to present a considerable global health challenge. Continued innovation is vital to enable manufacturers to push the boundaries to discover, develop and deliver the biotherapeutics and vaccines of now and the future.
That’s why we are supporting emerging scientists through the ESWI Early Career Scientist (ECaS) Award. Now in its fourth year, the award recognizes exceptional research by early-career researchers working in flu vaccine development.
Dr Marios Koutsakos of the Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, has been awarded this year’s ECaS Award in recognition of his contributions to advancing seasonal influenza vaccine research. Dr Koutsakos's work focuses on the evolution of flu viruses and the development of the immune response, which is an important consideration for improving future vaccines.
“I’m delighted to have won this award for my work in uncovering how influenza B viruses are recognized by the immune system. It’s really important to support early career scientists as it helps us continue to do good science and build our understanding of an overlooked area in flu.”
Dr Jenna Guthmiller, an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz, who won the award in 2023 for her innovative work around vaccination and immunity added: “These awards are a great opportunity to be in the broader context of academia and industry – as they allow us to learn from one another to deliver great innovations.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that vaccination remains the most effective measure for preventing severe disease, minimizing epidemic impact, and maintaining public health. Despite this, there are still around a billion cases globally of seasonal flu annually, including 3-5 million cases of severe illness, according to the WHO. Seasonal influenza also causes between 290,000 to 650,000 deaths worldwide each year.
CSL Seqirus is committed to working alongside our public health partners to protect at risk populations. By supporting scientists like Dr Koustakos, we are supporting continued innovation to help us tackle the worst effects of seasonal influenza.
