Rino Rappuoli is Scientific Director of the Biotecnopolo di Siena Foundation and head of MAD Lab Toscana Life Sciences, Italy. He is also Honorary Professor of Vaccinology at Imperial College, London, and Senior Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Siena. Prior positions held: Head R&D and Chief Scientist at GSK Vaccines, head of Vaccine R&D at Novartis, CSO at Chiron Corporation, head R&D at Sclavo.
He earned his PhD in Biological Sciences at the University of Siena, Italy, and was visiting scientist at Rockefeller University and Harvard Medical School.
He is elected member of US National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (AAAS), the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), the Royal Society of London, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. Awards received: Gold Medal by the Italian President, Albert B Sabin Gold Medal, Canada Gairdner International Award, European Inventor Award for Lifetime Achievement, Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize and the Robert Koch Award. He is President of the International Union of Microbiological Societies. He was voted the world’s third-most influential person in the field of vaccines at the Terrapinn World Vaccine Congress in 2013. Currently, he is ranked second most important person worldwide in the specialty of vaccines by ScholarGPS. He has published 806 works in peer-reviewed journals and an H-index of 162.
He introduced novel scientific concepts: genetic detoxification; cellular microbiology; reverse vaccinology; pangenome. Developed licensed vaccines: acellular pertussis containing a non-toxic mutant of pertussis toxin; first conjugate vaccine against meningococcus C; conjugate vaccines against meningococcus ACYW, MF59-adjuvanted seasonal and pandemic influenza. MF59 was the first vaccine adjuvant approved for human use after the aluminum salts; meningococcus B by reverse vaccinology; cell culture-based influenza vaccine, respiratory syncytial virus, CRM 197 as carrier of most conjugate vaccines. Founder of the GSK Vaccines Institute for Global Health (GVGH) Professor Rappuoli is among the world scientific leaders dedicated to the sustainability of global health.