Anna Lacasta, PhD is a Senior Scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, Kenya. Her research interests are broad. Anna and her team are involved in the evaluation of the pathogenesis associated with viral infections, e.g. comparative analysis after infection with genetically far-distant African swine fever strains. They are also focused on the evaluation of the natural immune responses associated with viral infections and the development of subunit vaccines priming B-cell responses for neglected African diseases, such as African swine fever (ASF) and Bovine Respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV). She also works on other livestock diseases, like East Coast fever (ECF). With the market product in mind, Anna’s team goal is to develop vaccines to be deployed in the challenging rural and remote areas in Africa. She is also a member of the ILRI Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) since 2021. During her career, Anna co-authored 19 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, and several papers in divulgation journals for wider audiences. She holds a Masters’s degree in Advanced Microbiology from Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Spain and a PhD in Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, from Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentaries – Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (IRTA-CReSA) and Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Spain.
Candidacy and Agenda 2024-2026
The role of the WSV with the lack of restrictions based on income or physical location is critical for the virologist network societies worldwide and to enhance the advancement of virology research and related fields. For these reasons, it is vital to increase society’s visibility on already established scientists and early career ones. One of the best ways to promote and enhance the visibility of the WSV is that every member working as ambassadors promoting the events, networking to get new members, among many others. Organising events and workshops for early career scientists is also a perfect way to get members for the Society, with little cost for the WSV. There are many ways to increase society’s income, such as organising conferences and workshops and adopting a new membership category for commercial companies (pharmaceutical/industrial) with fees, among many others. The key to all the suggestions resides in increasing networking with other virology societies, universities, and non-profit organisations, increasing the number of members, and working to increase the visibility of the WSV in social media and other conferences, among others.