The International Cytokine & Interferon Society proudly announces the winners of the 2025 Senior Career Awards.
ICIS-Pfizer Award for Excellence in Interferon and Cytokine Research
The Society’s most prestigious honor was jointly awarded to Burkhard Becher, PhD and Francisco J. Quintana, PhD.
Prof. Dr. Becher’s nominator summarized his contributions thusly: Over the last 30 years he has developed a focused program on cytokine biology that has uncovered some of the most fundamental insights into pathways that could be targeted therapeutically to manage chronic inflammation. His work is impactful, reproducible (very important) and continues to lead the field (see recent publications on IL-12 in EAE and IL-23 in the regulation of Treg cells in cancer). For these reasons he is a deserving recipient of the ICIS most distinguished award.
The ICIS awards committee selected Dr. Quintana for his pioneering work on immune regulation. His breakthrough work defined the role of glial cells and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in immunoregulation, identifying fundamental principles while developing unique tools that opened new research fields and guided the development of novel therapeutic approaches for human diseases.
ICIS-BioLegend William E. Paul Award
Dr. Hongbo Chi has been selected as the 2025 ICIS-BioLegend William E. Paul Award for Excellence in Cytokine Research winner in recognition of his seminal contributions to the fields of immunology and cytokine biology, especially for his studies establishing mechanisms and functional outcomes of immunometabolism. His foundational discoveries in immunometabolism and systems immunology have transformed our understanding of the interplay between metabolism, immunity and cytokine biology. MORE
ICIS-Howard A. Young Distinguished Service Award
Long-time member and supporter, Thomas Wynn, PhD has, for many years, been a vocal advocate for the engagement of Pfizer specifically, and the biopharma industry more broadly, in the Cytokine Society and our annual conference. Tom appreciates the need for a pipeline of well-trained cytokine biologists that can play critical roles in drug development and believes in the importance of the ICIS mission. He has gone out of his way to ensure that the partnership between Pfizer and the ICIS remains strong. READ MORE
Honorary Lifetime Membership
Prof. Dr. Ulf Panzer was bestowed Honorary Lifetime Membership. Dr. Panzer’s research is characterized by high originality & quality and exceptional translational impact. He has identified key mechanisms in GN & vasculitis, using preclinical models and patient tissue samples, addressing a topic that was long-overlooked in the Th17 field. Notable for the honor lifetime membership, Dr. Panzer is also known for his generosity in promoting careers of his lab members and engaging in public outreach. He has been an enthusiastic participant and speaker in the Cytokine meetings and has encouraged his lab members to participate as well. READ MORE