Dr. Luca Zaeck

Can you share a little about yourself and your research?

• Position: Postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Viroscience, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam (https://www.erasmusmc.nl/en/research/researchers/zaeck-luca)
• Research topic: Immunology of emerging viruses, with an emphasis on poxviruses serology
• Projects involved: main focus: magnitude, durability, and breadth of mpox virus-specific antibody responses induced by vaccination or infection; direct or indirect part of projects/consortia: JUA KIVU (EDCTP3-funded EU HORIZON mpox project between scientists from Europe and Africa), MPX-RESPONSE (EU-funded mpox consortium), ZonMw Infectieziektebestrijding, DURABLE.

What motivates you to be part of Durable?

Public health authorities are heavily reliant on scientific evidence to guide their recommendations on policy, vaccination, and outbreak countermeasures. Being able to be a (small) part of this system, providing evidence-based support to public health policy making, and having an impact on both outbreak containment but also on outbreak (and pandemic) preparedness are my ‘daily drivers’ that motivate me to do the research that I do. I highly value the clinical and translational aspects of my work.

What do you expect to accomplish in the upcoming years within your own institute and by being connected to Durable?

I hope to continue to be able to provide rapid, outcome-focused research on emerging viral diseases, improving our understanding of immune responses to novel viruses, and thereby helping to provide evidence-based support for vaccine development/deployment and policy making.