Leeuwenhoek prize lecture 2020 given by Professor Geoffrey L Smith FMedSci FRS
This lecture was originally advertised for April 2020 and has now been rescheduled and will take place online.
In 1980 the WHO declared smallpox eradicated. Yet forty years later, variola virus, the cause of smallpox, remains in high security labs in USA and Russia.
Professor Geoffrey L Smith, winner of the Leeuwenhoek Medal 2020, will describe how smallpox was eradicated, the lessons for the control of other infectious diseases, and the post eradication debate of what to do with variola virus. Thereafter, he will describe current research with vaccinia virus, the smallpox vaccine, directed to the design new vaccines and understanding how viruses suppress our immune system to their advantage.
Attending this event
This lecture was originally scheduled for March 2020 and has now been rescheduled to take place online. Please book via Eventbrite link, and we will send you joining details the week of the event.
The award
The Leeuwenhoek Medal and Lecture was originally established to recognise excellence in the field of microbiology but now also includes excellence in bacteriology, virology, mycology and parasitology, and microscopy. The lectureship was named after the Dutch microscopist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek FRS, often referred to as the ‘Father of Microbiology’, and is supported by a bequest from George Gabb. Originally it was held annually, and from 2006 to 2018 it was awarded triennially, but it is now awarded biennially. The lecture was first given in 1950. The medal is of bronze, is awarded biennially and is accompanied by a gift of £2,000.
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