Caption: Kelly Warfield, President of Research and Development, Sabin Vaccine Institute
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Virologist and leading vaccine developer Kelly Warfield has joined the Sabin Vaccine Institute as President of Research and Development to advance Sabin’s current vaccine candidates to regulatory approval and expand its pipeline.
As a member of Sabin’s leadership team, Warfield will lead the R&D program and team and collaborate with colleagues, cross-functional leaders and the Board of Trustees to shape Sabin’s strategic vision. She will report to CEO Amy Finan, who has led the R&D team since 2017 and revitalized it by launching new programs, securing new funding and expanding its capabilities.
“With our success, we need a new leader with scientific, regulatory and business experience to advance our research and development efforts and allow me to focus on growing Sabin,” says Finan. “This is the right time to make this move and in Kelly Warfield we have the right person for this role.”
A seasoned executive and scientist, Warfield brings a wealth of experience leading life science teams to build new capabilities and advance vaccination programs across multiple sectors, including government, startups, and mid-market biotech/pharmaceutical companies. In her most recent role as Senior Vice President of Science and Development at Emergent BioSolutions, she led a multinational team of over 300 scientists with an annual budget of over $100 million and coordinated partnerships with BARDA, NIAID, the U.S. Department of Defense, and CEPI.
“Kelly brings the strategic and scientific leadership needed to advance Sabin’s two vaccine candidates to regulatory approval and expand our vaccine portfolio. Equally important, she has the passion and expertise to address the technical and operational challenges of developing vaccines for diseases that disproportionately affect people in underserved communities,” says Finan.
Warfield says she is honored to be Sabin’s first R&D president and is deeply inspired by the organization’s ethic. “Throughout my career, I have focused on addressing unmet medical needs through public-private partnerships,” she says. “My greatest fulfillment is developing vaccines to combat these emerging disease threats, so this role at Sabin is a perfect fit with my long-standing interest in using science to help those most in need.”
A critical priority for Warfield will be working with partners to bring Sabin’s vaccine candidates against Marburg and Sudan Ebola disease to approval. “If approved, these vaccines could be game-changing, particularly for communities in outbreak-affected regions of Africa,” Warfield says.
In addition to her expertise in vaccine development, Kelly has a deep understanding of new regulatory processes, including the Animal Rule and accelerated approvals, and has successfully navigated U.S. FDA and European Medicines Agency regulations for product approvals.
Prior to joining Emergent in 2014, Warfield co-founded and led vaccine development at Integrated Biotherapeutics, Inc. She specialized in the development of antiviral drugs and vaccines against Ebola and Marburg viruses. She also led the preclinical development of a broad range of antiviral drugs, including those against influenza and dengue fever.
Warfield began her research career as a student intern at the National Cancer Institute. As a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, she developed vaccines and therapeutics for highly lethal filoviruses and received training to work in advanced biosafety laboratories (BSL-3 and BSL-4).
Warfield is the author of over 100 publications and book chapters and holds more than 15 patents.
In addition to her professional achievements, Warfield has served on the boards of nonprofits and startups and currently advises an organization that provides STEM skills to underserved communities.
About the Sabin Vaccine Institute
The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a leading advocate for expanding access to and use of vaccines worldwide, advancing vaccine research and development, and expanding vaccine knowledge and innovation. By harnessing the potential of vaccines through partnerships, Sabin has built a robust ecosystem of funders, innovators, implementers, practitioners, policymakers, and public stakeholders to advance its vision of a future free of preventable disease. As a nonprofit organization with three decades of experience, Sabin is committed to finding lasting solutions and extending the full benefits of vaccines to all people, no matter who they are or where they live. At Sabin, we believe in the power of vaccines to change the world. For more information, visit www.sabin.org and follow us on X, @SabinVaccine.
Media contact:
Monika Guttman
Specialist in media relations
Sabin Vaccine Institute
+1 (202) 662-1841
[email protected]
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/440f3fa4-a78f-4d8a-85c4-e84724a6c69b
