Emory Vaccine Center
EVC and ICGEB Received Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grant
The Emory Vaccine Center received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the project, "HPV Cervical Cancer in India," funded for $ 2.0 million dollars for the initial 2-yr period. The research initiative brings together leading global institutions and experts. The program, led by Dr. Rafi Ahmed, is a collaboration with renowned scientists and clinicians from International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) New Delhi, ICGEB Trieste, the ICGEB-Emory Vaccine Program (Dr. Anmol Chandele and Murali Krishna Kaja), the All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi (Dr. Nilanchali Singh), the Emory Winship Cancer Center (Dr. Mihir Patel), Ohio State University (Dr. Andreas Weiland), and the University of Geneva (Dr. Christiane Eberhardt). The initiative is dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of cervical cancer through cutting-edge research in human immunology.
The inaugural meeting of the Program on Human Immunology of Cervical Cancers was held at (ICGEB) New Delhi and marked the beginning of a significant collaborative research initiative. Held in February 2025, the event brought together prominent experts in the field, with keynote addresses by Dr. Lawrence Banks, Director-General of ICGEB, and Dr. Ahmed at Emory. The joint program between ICGEB and the Emory Vaccine Center aims to understand human immune responses related to HPV control, persistence, and cervical cancer.
Rafi Ahmed Named AACR Fellow​
Rafi Ahmed, PhD, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, was named a 2025 Fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy, one of the highest honors in cancer research.
The mission of the Fellows of the AACR Academy is to recognize and honor extraordinary scientists whose ground breaking contributions have driven significant innovation and progress against cancer. Fellows of the AACR Academy constitute a global brain trust of leading experts in cancer science and medicine, working to advance the AACR’s mission.
Suthar Lab
Kinsella Lab
The Kinsella lab welcomes Chris Harding, PhD, as a new postdoctoral fellow. Chris is originally from Olympia, WA and went to grad school in Louisville, KY where he studied innate anti-bacterial immunity in malaria co-infections and gained appreciation for host-pathogen interactions. More recently, Chris returned to the Pacific Northwest and entered the world of TB research at Seattle Children’s Research Institute and explored functions of a key component in Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein secretion and its potential as a novel target for anti-mycobacterial therapeutics. His other research interests include bacterial pathogenesis, leukocyte biology, innate immunity to bacterial infections, disease ecology, and vector-borne infectious diseases. In his spare time, Chris enjoys hiking, backpacking, playing music, snowboarding, and spending time with his Australian shepherd, Tula.