Vaccine manufacturing is essential to ensure access

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Laura A. Palomares

Laura A. Palomares is the Director of the Institute of Biotechnology of the National University of Mexico (UNAM). She is also a group leader and professor. Palomares is a biochemical engineer (ITESM, Mexico) with a doctorate in science from UNAM, and postdoctoral training at the School of Chemical Engineering at Cornell University (USA). Her research is based on physical virology, glycobiotechnology, and bioprocess engineering. She studies viral proteins and glycoproteins that self-assemble into macrostructures with application as vaccines, gene therapy vectors, and as nanomaterials. She collaborated with Protein Sciences Corporation as a member of its Scientific Advisory Board, as Director of Process Development during a Sabbatical leave from UNAM, and in other projects that include the licensing of Flublok for Mexico, with Laboratorios Liomont. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Birmex, as an expert for the Biotechnology Committee of the Mexican Pharmacopoeia, as an expert of the Subcommittee for the Evaluation of Biotechnological Products for COFEPRIS, and as a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for CEPI. She has also served as chair of several congresses and meetings in Mexico and abroad. Her former students are leaders in the vaccine and biotechnology industry in Mexico and abroad. Her work has been recognized with some of the most prestigious awards in Mexico, such as the Weizmann Award for the best doctoral thesis (Mexican Academy of Science), two times with the “Canifarma Veterinaria” Award, the Prize of the Mexican Academy of Science, the Interciencia Award for Life Sciences, the “Premio Universidad Nacional” (UNAM), and is a member of the SNI at the maximum level, a system that ranks researchers in Mexico. She has been named an Exceptional Mexican Innovator and one of the most powerful Mexican women.