Congress opening ceremony and Plenary Lecture 1: Developing therapeutics for current and future pandemics: the role of mRNA, lipid nanoparticles and other novel targets
| Monday, July 13, 2026 |
| 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM |
Overview
Prof Sharon Lewin AO
Details
To meet the ambitions of the G7 to have diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines available for a future pandemic in 100 days, substantial investments are needed to transform discovery science, manufacturing and clinical trial capacity as well as agreements in relation to access for low and middle income countries. The International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat (IPPS) recently issued the 100 day mission score card in January 2026 and highlighted that therapeutics for pandemics represent a significant gap. The Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics was established to develop platform technologies that can deliver therapeutics at speed for pathogens of pandemic potential and is focused on the role of antibodies, small molecules that have activity across multiple virus families, host targets such as innate immunity and nucleic acid targeting. The use of mRNA and lipid nanoparticles to deliver CRISPR Cas proteins or other mRNAs to the upper or lower respiratory tract for respiratory viruses or to specific cells in the immune system for chronic infections such as HIV represent an exciting new avenue for antiviral therapeutics that could potentially be rapidly adapted to a new pathogen and/or find therapeutic solutions for existing chronic infections of global significance.
Speaker
Prof Sharon Lewin AO
The University of Melbourne
Developing therapeutics for current and future pandemics: the role of mRNA, lipid nanoparticles and other novel targets
Biography
Professor Sharon Lewin is the Director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, a joint venture between the University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital; Director of the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics; and Melbourne Laureate Professor at The University of Melbourne.
Sharon is an infectious diseases physician and basic scientist. She completed her medical degree in 1986 and PhD in virology in 1997. Her research focuses on understanding why HIV persists on treatment and developing clinical trials aimed at ultimately finding a cure for HIV infection. Sharon is recognised as a leading global expert in HIV science.
She has received numerous awards, including being appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in recognition of her distinguished service to medical research, and to education and clinical care, in the field of infectious diseases, particularly HIV and AIDS.
Session chair
Carl Kirkpatrick
Monash University
Francesca Levi-Schaffer
The Hebrew University Of Jerusalem
