Prof. Ihsan Gursel, is the former Director of Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG). He is leading the ThorLab on Adjuvant Innovation and Nanobiotechnology Research Laboratory. He spent more than thirty years of his career working in different research and government institutes. His research focus is on immunology, vaccinology, nanomedicine, and biomaterials. His research laboratory engaged in activities aiming to understand the immunomodulatory properties of DNA on mammalian immune system and attempts to develop more effective treatment modalities to cancer, autoimmune, autoinflammatory diseases as well as infectious diseases with an interdisciplinary approach. He supervised more than 50 graduate thesis and published over 105 refereed articles and book chapters along with a dozen of patent filings. His Research Lab. co-pioneered the development of the virus like particle (VLP) vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 virus, the only vaccine candidate harboring all four structural protein antigens known to reach first in human clinical trials during COVID-19 pandemic era. He has received over 13900 citations (H-Factor: 48). He is a full-member of the Academy of Turkiye and current president of the Turkish Society of Immunology.