Professor Vasso Apostopoulos
Distinguished Professor, Professor of Immunology, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
Greek Australian Immunology Distinguished Professor Vasso Apostolopoulos has ranked among the top academics globally in the latest ‘citation ranking’ in the Stanford University Elsevier Global Researcher list.
Kosmas Zakynthinos
In the past few years, the scientific advances in cancer treatment and prevention have been truly impressive. What more should we expect to see in the future?
The future of cancer treatment is very promising, with several key advancements into the future:
Cancer Prevention: Advances in understanding genetic and lifestyle risk factors will lead to better prevention strategies and targeted treatments.
Improved Early Detection: Multi-cancer screening and new biomarkers will enable earlier and more accurate diagnoses.
Better Chemotherapy & Radiotherapy: New delivery methods for chemotherapy, and more precise radiation techniques will reduce side effects and improve effectiveness.
Liquid Biopsies: Blood tests to detect cancer and monitor treatment response will become more widespread and less invasive.
Personalised Medicine: Treatments will be increasingly tailored to individual genetic profiles, using genomic data to identify the most effective therapies.
Immunotherapy: CAR-T cell therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors will continue to evolve, expanding their use to more cancers and improving effectiveness.
Vaccines: Development of new improved vaccines to include new markers, new delivery methods and adjuvants and considering the tumour microenvironment.
Drug repurposing: Drug repurposing for cancer using existing, FDA-approved drugs that were originally developed for other conditions and testing them for effectiveness against cancer. This approach will accelerate the drug development process, potentially leading to faster, more affordable treatments.
AI and Machine Learning: AI will enhance early detection, optimise treatment plans, and analyse patient data for better outcomes.
Gene Editing: CRISPR and other gene-editing technologies may allow direct modification of cancer cells or immune cells, improving treatment precision.
Holistic Approaches: Integrating complementary therapies or natural bio-active compounds as well as importance of nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and mental health support will improve overall treatment outcomes.
Chronic Disease Management: With better treatments, many cancers could become manageable chronic conditions, offering long-term survival.
Overall, cancer care will become more precise, personalised, and effective, moving us closer to better outcomes for more patients.
Immunotherapy is “key” to stimulating specific cells of the immune system, which can be programmed to kill cancer cells. When should we expect new drugs hitting the market?
New immunotherapy drugs are expected to hit the market in the coming years, with several already in late-stage clinical trials. While some new treatments, such as enhanced CAR-T cell therapies and novel immune checkpoint inhibitors, may be approved within the next 1-3 years, the timeline for broader approval will depend on the results of ongoing trials, regulatory reviews, and the specific cancer types they target. As research continues to advance, we can anticipate a steady stream of innovative therapies becoming available over the next 5-10 years.
You have over 25 years’ experience in cancer, vaccine development and immunology research. You have developed the world’s first breast and ovarian cancer vaccine. Are we close enough to be able to say that “cancer will be a chronic disease”?
Yes, it’s increasingly possible that cancer could become a chronic disease for many patients. With advances in early detection, personalised treatments, and immunotherapies, more cancers are being managed as long-term conditions. While a complete cure for all cancers is still distant, ongoing treatments are helping many people live longer with cancer, keeping it under control, and enabling a higher quality of life. Over time, this shift could make cancer management more about living with the disease rather than fighting for survival.
You are an expert in immunology, medicinal chemistry, cellular biology, and molecular biology with expertise in vaccines. What are the next major threats to global public health?
There are several major threats to public health, however, to address these, we need a coordinated global effort to improve disease surveillance, health systems, and international collaboration.
Infectious diseases: New diseases like COVID-19 showed how quickly pathogens spread. Zoonotic diseases, transmitted from animals to humans, pose a growing threat as human-wildlife interactions increase, creating opportunities for new pathogens to emerge and spread globally.
Re-emerging Diseases: Diseases like malaria, measles, whooping cough and tuberculosis are resurging due to vaccine hesitancy, healthcare gaps, and drug resistance, making control more difficult.
Climate Change and tropical diseases: Extreme weather conditions promote the spread of vector-borne diseases like malaria, dengue, and flaviviruses by expanding their habitats.
Pandemic Preparedness: Strengthening surveillance, healthcare infrastructure, and rapid response capabilities is crucial to prevent future pandemics. Examples in recent months include outbreaks of Mpox, Oropouche virus, H5N1 bird flu, all of which pose global threats. As such we have developed with Professor John Matsoukas the Global consortium, ELPanvir, on pan-antivirals developing promising drugs, ‘bisartans’ against emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
Vaccine Hesitancy: Misinformation and mistrust are slowing vaccination efforts, risking the resurgence of preventable diseases.
Mental Health Crisis: The COVID pandemic has highlighted the growing need for mental health care, with rising rates of anxiety, depression, and trauma.
Antimicrobial Resistance: Overuse of antibiotics is leading to drug-resistant infections, making treatment more difficult.
Non-Communicable Diseases: Chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity are increasing globally due to lifestyle factors.
Health Inequities: Poor healthcare access, particularly in low-income countries, worsens the impact of both infectious and chronic diseases.
Bioterrorism and Cybersecurity: The risk of biological threats and cybersecurity breaches in healthcare systems are emerging concerns.
The COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered critical vulnerabilities in health systems across countries, regardless of income levels. Inadequate access to health systems is a health threat, with at least half the global population lacking access to essential healthcare services. What is the biggest challenge facing healthcare?
The biggest challenge facing healthcare is ‘inequitable access’ to quality services, with millions of people, particularly in low-income and rural areas, lacking basic healthcare. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted this disparity, as poorer countries received significantly less support, treatments, and vaccines compared to wealthier nations. This inequity is driven by inadequate healthcare infrastructure, shortages of medical personnel, and financial barriers, all of which prevent timely and effective care for vulnerable populations.
Cancer is globally a leading cause of death. The lack of timely access to screening, diagnosis, and treatment contributes to the increased cancer-related mortality rate. What do you think we should change?
To reduce cancer-related mortality, it’s crucial to improve access to timely screening, early diagnosis, and affordable treatments, particularly in low –and middle– income countries. Expanding healthcare infrastructure, raising awareness, and ensuring equitable access to life-saving therapies are key steps. Governments must prioritise cancer control in health policies, while industry should invest in developing affordable treatments and diagnostic tools. Additionally, increased research funding is essential to drive innovation in cancer therapies, early detection, and prevention. Collaboration between governments, the healthcare industry, and research institutions and Universities, are vital for making meaningful progress in the fight against cancer.
How are new technologies (big data), which produce faster clinical results, helping to create better/new therapies?
New technologies like ‘big data’ and ‘artificial intelligence (AI)’ are transforming drug development by analysing large patient datasets to uncover patterns, predict treatment responses, and develop personalised therapies. Combining these computational tools also facilitates the development of new, improved drugs, repurposed treatments, and enhanced vaccines. This accelerates clinical trials, improves patient outcomes, and brings more effective therapies to market more quickly.
How does Multiple Sclerosis research progress? What do you expect on the next few years?
MS research has significantly progressed in recent years, particularly in understanding its autoimmune and neurodegenerative mechanisms. New therapies have been developed, including ‘disease-modifying treatments’ that target the immune system to reduce inflammation and slow disease progression. Advances in ‘immune modulation’ are also showing promise, as we explore ways to regulate specific immune cells to prevent them from self-attack. For example, in collaboration with Professor John Matsoukas from the University of Patras/NewDrug SA and other partners from the MS consortium, several immune-modulating peptides were developed, linked to an immune-modulating “carrier.”
These peptides demonstrated the ability to modulate and “switch off” damaging autoimmune cells in lab tests, animal models, and in autoimmune cells isolated from patients with MS. A recent phase I human clinical trial was successfully completed for one of these immune-modulating peptides/drugs.
In the coming years, we can expect further breakthroughs in ‘personalised treatments’, where therapies will be tailored to an individual’s genetic and immune profile, improving effectiveness and reducing side effects. Advances in ‘vaccines’ for MS will also play a role, either by preventing the onset in high-risk individuals or by inducing immune tolerance to reduce disease activity. Additionally, ‘remyelination therapies’ aimed at repairing nerve damage are in the pipeline, potentially reversing some of the damage caused by MS.
With continued research into immune modulation, neuroprotection, and regenerative therapies, the future of MS treatment looks very promising, with hopes for more effective and potentially curative options in the next few years.
Greece ranks lower with respect to the number as well as academic qualifications of doctors and nursing staff. Why do you think this is the case?
Greece’s lower ranking in the number and qualifications of healthcare professionals is largely due to ‘brain drain’, with many graduates leaving for better opportunities abroad. Economic instability, underfunding of healthcare, and austerity measures have led to limited investment in training, poor working conditions, and low salaries, reducing the appeal of medical or academic/research careers. Insufficient healthcare reforms and poor resource allocation have limited investments in training, retention, and specialisation, resulting in a shortage of skilled professionals and lower care quality.
Recently, Prof. Vasso Apostolopoulos soars into top of world’s most cited scientists, according to Stanford University rankings. What does that mean for you?
Being ranked among the world’s most cited scientists by Stanford University is a significant honor and validation of my work’s impact on the scientific community. It reflects the relevance and influence of my research in advancing knowledge and contributing to the field. However, it also comes with the responsibility to maintain a high ranking, mentor the next generation of researchers, and continue to build collaborations that drive further breakthroughs. Ultimately, it motivates me to continue making meaningful contributions to science and society.
Who is who
Prof. Vasso Apostolopoulos is the Director of the Healthy Lifespan and Chronic Diseases Theme at RMIT University. She is also the Program Director, Immunology, at the Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science.
Her expertise is multi-disciplinary with extensive expertise in immunology, x-ray crystallography, medicinal chemistry, cellular biology, clinical & translational research with development of drugs and vaccines. Prof. Vasso Apostolopoulos was a Chief Scientific Officer for 4Gvaccines, is on the board and consults for pharmaceutical companies worldwide, and is the Director of VAConsulting. She has undertaken research in various capacities at Oxford University, Scripps Research Institute USA, Mater Institute Qld, ANU Canberra, University of Melbourne. She was head of the Immunology & Vaccine Unit at the Austin Research Institute and at the Burnet Institute; the Immunology Program Leader in the Centre for Chronic Disease at VU; was the Mechanisms and Interventions in Health and Disease Program Leader at VU. In 2018-2022 she was part of the senior executive team being the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Associate Provost and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research Partnerships.
Prof. Vasso Apostolopoulos is a world-renowned researcher who has been recognised with >100 awards including the Premier’s Award for Medical Research, Young Australian of the Year (Vic), Greek Australian of the Year, Woman of the Year. She received Commander, of the Order of the Phoenix by the President of Greece. She was named one of the most successful Greeks abroad by the prestigious Times magazine. Prof. Vasso Apostolopoulos was the first to develop a method of immunotherapy to stimulate the immune system in the early 1990s, which today is used by hundreds of labs around the world. These studies led to >25 phase I, II, III human trials of vaccine formulations for breast & ovarian cancer which attracted investment by pharma. Of note, one of the studies now has long-term follow-up data showing that 18 years later those injected with the vaccine remain cancer free.
Committed to the benefits of immunotherapy, Prof. Vasso Apostolopoulos has applied several immunotherapies to other diseases including MS, diabetes, drug addiction, Alzheimer’s’ disease. Prof. Vasso Apostolopoulos’ research is also working on understanding mechanisms and developing interventions for cancer, mental health, diabetes, chronic diseases, infectious diseases, autoimmunity, using vaccines, drugs, natural bio-active compounds. She is committed to driving her research and programs to help people age healthy.
In response to the current global COVID emergency, a global consortia was developed which includes researchers from Europe, USA, Canada and Australia investigating and working on vaccines and drugs to treat multiple viruses and pandemic preparedness.
Prof. Vasso Apostolopoulos has published over 500 research papers, is an inventor on 21 patents, has supervised >70 Hons MSc PhD students and has received >$63.5M in research funds.
