Vaccine pioneer to give Racker Lecture Oct. 3

The Covid-19 pandemic gave poignant evidence of vaccines being one of the most remarkable achievements of biomedical science. In this year's Ef Racker Lecturer in Biology and Medicine, vaccine pioneer Peter Kim '79 will explore how vaccines work and provide an overview of some of the most influential vaccines in history. He'll examine the scientific breakthroughs behind the development of vaccines for cervical cancer and COVID-19 and discuss the ongoing challenge of why a vaccine for HIV continues to be elusive.

The talk, "Preventing Diseases with Vaccines," will be held on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. in Rm. G10, Biotechnology Building. The lecture is free and the public is invited. A reception will follow at 8 p.m.

"We are especially excited that this year's Racker Lecturer is Peter Kim, who discovered the mechanism by which viral membranes fuse with cells as the critical first step in virus infection, which then laid the foundation for the eventual development of Covid-19 vaccines," said Richard Cerione, Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of molecular medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

On Friday, Oct. 4, Kim will give a scientific lecture on "New Frontiers for Vaccines against Infectious Disease" at 4 p.m. in G10 Biotechnology Building. A reception will follow at 5 p.m.

Read the full story on the College of Arts and Sciences website.