The 19th edition of BioAsia, organised by Telangana government and Federation of Asian Biotech Associations [FABA], has announced that the coveted ‘Genome Valley Excellence Award for 2022’ will be conferred upon Drew Weissman, for his breakthrough pioneering research and development of effective mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, that has helped save billions of lives globally.
Dr. Weissman is a Professor at the Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania and is acknowledged for his contributions to the development of various vaccines including COVID-19, universal flu vaccine, herpes vaccine, etc. besides several other therapeutic developments, said a press release on Thursday.
The nucleoside-modified mRNA-lipid nanoparticle vaccine platform, Dr. Weissman’s lab created, is used in the first two approved COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. They continue to develop other vaccines that induce potent antibody and T cell responses with mRNA–based vaccines. He is also known for his work in cancer therapeutics, protein therapeutics, and gene therapy.
“We are honored to present the award to Dr. Drew Weissman for his pioneering research and development of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Dr Weissman’s perseverance is worth inspiring thousands of researchers in the life science fraternity. We are excited to welcome him at BioAsia 2022, albeit virtually, I am sure his participation will inspire the younger generation to pursue science and engage more actively in research,” said Minister for IT and Industries K.T. Rama Rao.
IT & Industries Secretary Jayesh Ranjan and CEO BioAsia Shakthi M. Nagappan, also hailed the award winner, the release added.
