Federica Sallusto is a globally recognized leader in immunological research whose pioneering work has significantly shaped modern understanding of immune system mechanisms. She has served as Laboratory Director at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) in Bellinzona since 2000, where she established the Center for Medical Immunology in 2016 to advance translational research. Professor Sallusto earned her degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Rome La Sapienza in 1988 and completed her post-doctoral training at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in Rome and the Basel Institute for Immunology in Basel. In February 2017, she was appointed Professor of Medical Immunology at both ETH Zurich and the Università della Svizzera italiana, cementing her reputation as one of Europe's most influential immunologists.
Her groundbreaking research has fundamentally transformed our understanding of T cell differentiation, memory formation, and immune responses to pathogens, with particular emphasis on chemokine signaling and cellular migration mechanisms. Professor Sallusto's laboratory at IRB has produced seminal discoveries regarding the molecular pathways that govern protective immunity, providing critical insights for vaccine development and therapeutic interventions. Her work has established new paradigms in understanding how the immune system mounts effective responses against infectious diseases while maintaining immunological memory. These contributions have had profound implications for developing novel approaches to combat immune-related disorders and infectious diseases, bridging fundamental immunological principles with clinical applications.
Beyond her research achievements, Professor Sallusto has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the global immunology community, having served as President of the Swiss Society of Allergology and Immunology from 2013 to 2015 and as President of the European Federation of Immunology Societies from 2022 to 2024. Her election to prestigious academies including the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2009, EMBO in 2011, and the US National Academy of Sciences in 2022 reflects the international recognition of her scientific contributions. She has been instrumental in shaping immunological research agendas as a member of the Swiss National Research Council from 2018 to 2024 and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Fribourg in 2022. Currently, she continues to lead innovative research at IRB while mentoring the next generation of scientists, with her work increasingly focused on translating fundamental immunological discoveries into novel therapeutic approaches for infectious diseases and immune disorders.
