Enisa Smlatić
ESR 14
Project: Development of a therapeutic vaccine against P. aeruginosa
Organisation/Institute: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Munich, Germany)
Supervisor: Prof. Johannes Huebner
I hold an MSc. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Drug Development from the University of Leuven in Belgium. My undergraduate studies very much focused on analytical chemistry and classical pharmacology. However, as I was eager to become actively involved in scientific research from early on, I decided to participate as an undergraduate student researcher during the summer holidays. This experience subsequently led me to an exchange program in Brazil in 2016. During that time, I was able to witness the Zika virus epidemic from close by. This reality was a game-changer as this experience was the beginning of my interest in infectious diseases and global health policy. Consequently, I was very excited to perform my Master thesis on flavivirus antiviral drug discovery at the Rega Institute in Leuven under supervision of Professor Johan Neyts and Kai Dallmeier. My topic was directed at unravelling the subgenomic flaviviral noncoding RNA and host protein interactions of different flaviviruses such as Zika, Dengue, Yellow Fever and West Nile virus using a yeast cell assay.
The following year, I had the opportunity to undertake an internship at the Global Regulatory Affairs of Vaccines’ department of GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, where I was lucky to focus both on the chemistry, manufacturing and control as well as the clinical aspect of vaccines, thanks to Mihai Bilanin and Marie-Noëlle Marenne. Here, I learned how rigorously vaccines are being tested and assessed for safety and efficacy by regulatory agencies such as the EMA and the FDA, also, I had a glimpse of how cooperation works with supranational organizations such as the WHO and GAVI. Simultaneously, I participated in an Honours Programme on vaccine hesitancy under Professor Corinne Vandermeulen. More specifically, our transdisciplinary team looked at childhood vaccinations and the reasons why some parents are hesitating to vaccinate their child. It is during this time that I realized the beauty and strength of our immune system as a weapon against disease and it is my aim to continue in this field.
In the light of the current antimicrobial resistance era, I strongly believe that vaccine technology will save us from an antibiotic resistant bacteria apocalypse. Along with this, vaccination advocacy has never been so important as nowadays. Hence, I am very proud to be a participant in the BactiVax ITN and to be so fortunate to pursue my PhD research under Professor Johannes Hübner at the LMU. My ultimate goal would be to be part of a vaccine R&D start-up company and to be lifelong committed to promoting global health policy.