Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine’s new Professor in Virology Christine Goffinet has received a prestigious award from the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Professor Goffinet, who joined LSTM this month as part of a strategic initiative to develop our research and expertise in viral disease, is one of a select group of international emerging research leaders to each benefit from up to £500,000 of grant funding to take up Professorships in the UK.
The three recipients of the Professorship awards will receive “flexible support to advance medical science and translate developments into benefits for patients and wider society”, as well as helping to strengthen their international networks.
This will support Professor Goffinet’s research focus on how cell-intrinsic innate immunity and defence mechanisms can interfere with virus infection and prevent virus spread. Her team’s work aims to eventually develop effective antivirals against emerging viruses and advance approaches for a HIV-1 cure.
Professor Goffinet, who has joined LSTM from Charite–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, said: “This award from the Academy will support my research to find a cure for HIV that has a high chance of working in populations with the most urgent need, in an institution with strong links to these countries.
“Currently the majority of research into a cure is conducted in people from Europe and North America rather than the populations most affected by the virus, including those in South Africa. It is important that the way we do research changes as population differences, such as exposure to other viruses and pathogens, will impact how effective a cure is.”
Professor Tom Solomon CBE FMedSci, Vice President (International), Academy of Medical Sciences, said: “We are proud to provide funding for talented researchers across the world, as part of our strategic priority to support all researchers to reach their full potential. By investing in these research leaders, we are ensuring the UK remains an attractive place for exceptional biomedical and health research, and we are strengthening the Academy’s global networks and our impact on health internationally.”
Read more about Professor Goffinet and her work at LSTM.