In Commemoration of Dr. Farrokh Modabber: An Iranian Pioneer of Cellular Immunology, and Leishmaniases Vaccine Research in Iran and the World

Abstract

Born in 1940 in Rasht, Iran, Dr. Farrokh Modabber earned his B.A. in Bacteriology and Ph.D. in Microbiology from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He joined the Harvard Medical School as a fellow before transitioning to a faculty role at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and played a pivotal role in advancing Cellular Immunology. In the early 1970s, he returned to Iran as an Associate Professor at Pahlavi University in Shiraz. Subsequently, he rejoined HSPH before embarking on a tenure at Tehran University. As the head of the Pathobiology Department at Tehran University School of Public Health, he initiated the Tehran/Harvard joint M.Sc. program in Immunology, which played a crucial role in shaping the careers of numerous Iranian immunologists over the following decades. Dr. Modabber went on to hold esteemed positions such as Director General of the Pasteur Institute of Iran, visiting immunology lecturer at various universities, Coordinator of Research Capability Strengthening of WHO’s Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), Director of the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), and Senior Advisor of Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), to name a few. This article highlights Dr. Modabber’s impactful career, focusing on his efforts to combat global leishmaniasis.

Keywords: History of immunology, Iran, Leishmaniasis, Pasteur Institute of Iran