Denis Logunov, 47, who led the team that developed and tested the Sputnik COVID-19 vaccine, has been named director of Moscow's Gamaleya Research Centre. He will replace long-serving director Alexander Gintsburg at Russia's leading vaccine research institute, named after Nikolai Gamaleya. The Sputnik shot was widely used for COVID-19 immunisation in Russia and several countries abroad, including Argentina, Mexico, Hungary and Serbia.
Denis Logunov, Lead Developer of Sputnik Vaccine, Appointed Director of Gamaleya Research Centre
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Denis Logunov, Deputy Head at Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia November 21, 2021. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS
Denis Logunov, 47, the scientist who led the team behind Russia's Sputnik COVID-19 vaccine, has been appointed director of Moscow's Gamaleya Research Centre, the centre said in a statement on Monday.
Leadership Change
Logunov will succeed Alexander Gintsburg as head of the institute, which is Russia's leading vaccine research organisation and is named after the Russian-Soviet scientist Nikolai Gamaleya.
Role in Sputnik Development
Logunov led the group of researchers who developed and tested the Sputnik vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The vaccine was widely used for COVID-19 immunisation in Russia and adopted by several other countries, including Argentina, Mexico, Hungary and Serbia.
Significance
The appointment underscores continuity at one of Russia's principal vaccine research centres as global attention on vaccine development and public-health preparedness remains high.
