George Siber

George R. Siber
Born(1944-09-07)September 7, 1944
Bavaria
CitizenshipCanadian and American (dual)
Alma materMcGill University
Spouse
Angelia Siber
​
(m. 2006)​
Scientific career
FieldsVaccinology
Doctoral advisorDavid Hamilton Smith and Porter W Anderson Jr.[1]

George Rainer Siber is a Canadian-American medical researcher and vaccinologist.[2]

He is known for developing vaccines, therapeutic antibodies, and diagnostic agents for infectious diseases.[3]

Siber is a former Harvard professor, current adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University and former professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.[4][5][6]

Biography

Siber emigrated from Bavaria, Germany, with his parents at age nine in 1953 to Montreal.[7]

After high school, he attended Bishop's University in Lennoxville, Quebec from 1962 to 1966, where he graduated with honors and obtained a Bachelor of Science.[2] Siber then attended McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where he became a Doctor of Medicine in 1970.[8][9]

After graduation in 1970, Siber held several internships, residencies, and fellowships. Between 1970 and 1972, Siber worked in Chicago as an intern and junior medical resident at Rush University Medical Center.[10] In 1972, Siber moved to Boston and worked as a senior medical resident and clinical fellow in medicine at Beth Israel Hospital until 1973.[11] Between 1974 and 1975, Siber completed a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Boston Children’s Hospital and Beth Israel Hospital.[10] Siber was also a fellow for the Medical Research Council of Canada.[12]

Siber served as the vice president, chief scientific officer, and senior vice president, and executive vice president for Wyeth[13] from 1996 to 2006.[12][14][15] After retiring from Wyeth, Siber served on the Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Boards of multiple vaccine companies.[12] Siber joined ClearPath Vaccine Company in 2012 and became its chief scientific officer in 2013.[12]

In 2014 he co-founded Affinivax and served [16]on the board of directors. [17][18][19][20][21]

Siber was appointed to the board of trustees of the International Vaccine Institute in Korea in 2014 and chaired[4] the board's science committee.[22][23]

Siber served as the assistant director and head of bacterial vaccines for the Massachusetts Public Health Biological Laboratories in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, between 1982 and 1983. In 1983, he was promoted to the position of director, where he served until 1996.

Siber has held positions at Harvard Medical School (associate professor until 1996), Tufts University School of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School (professor of medicine until 2012), and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (adjunct professor from 2008 to present).[12][24]

Siber holds patents on RespiGam, the first Human respiratory syncytial virus immune globulin, and Prevnar, the first Pneumococcal Pneumonia Conjugate.[23]

Respigam was the first antibody licensed for preventing severe RSV infections in high-risk infants and was the precursor product to Synagis, the first human monoclonal antibody for infectious diseases. Prevnar 7 and 13 are for the prevention of pneumococcal infections, the most common and severe bacterial infection of children and elderly adults worldwide causing mortality exceeding 1 million per year. Prevnar is also the most successful commercial vaccine of all time with sales exceeding four billion dollars per year.[25]

Siber developed [26] Meningitec (sp),[27] the first Meningoccus C conjugate vaccine, Rotashield, the first Rotavirus diarrhea vaccine, and FluMist, the first Live attenuated influenza vaccine.[12][22][23][28]

Awards

  • 1962-1966 – Domtar Scholar, Bishop's University, Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada
  • 1966-1970 – University Scholar, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • 1968–present – Alpha Omega Alpha
  • 1970 – Holmes Gold Medal, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • 1970 – J. Francis Williams Scholarship in Clinical Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • 1971 – Rush Medical College Award, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital, Chicago, Illinois (Best Medical Intern)
  • 1972 – Department of Medicine Award, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital, Chicago, Illinois (Best Medical Resident)
  • 1975 – Canadian MRC Fellowship in Infectious Diseases
  • 2008 – Dedication of Massachusetts Biologic Laboratories Research and Development Building, Mattapan, MA to George R. Siber and Jeanne Leszczynsky
  • 2016 – Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal
  • 2024-DCL, Bishop’s University[27]

Bibliography

Journals

Books

References

  1. ^ "Vaccine Technology Takes Center Stage in Rochester". University of Rochester Medical Center. 1998-10-08. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  2. ^ a b Mccully, Matthew (2024-05-30). "Bishop's to bestow Townships with honorary degree at upcoming convocation". Sherbrooke Record. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  3. ^ "ILiAD Biotechnologies". www.iliadbio.com. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  4. ^ a b James, Patricia (12 November 2024). "Lifelong Friend, Colleague, and Donor - Dr. George Siber". Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health.
  5. ^ "ClearPath Development Team". ClearPath Development Company. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  6. ^ Clark, Thornton. "Porter Anderson". The Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  7. ^ "Chambly County High School & Chambly Academy Alumni Association". Chambly County. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  8. ^ "Valneva Announces Appointments of Two Leading Vaccine Experts to its Scientific Advisory Board". Valneva. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  9. ^ Sherwin, A.L.; Siber, G.R.; Elhilali, M.M. (August 1967). "Fluorescence technique to demonstrate creatine phosphokinase isozymes". Clinica Chimica Acta. 17 (2): 245–249. doi:10.1016/0009-8981(67)90127-1. PMID 4382430.
  10. ^ a b Radice, Lauren (2016-04-19). "Dr. George R. Siber Receives 2016 Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal Award". Sabin Vaccine Institute. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  11. ^ Vaccines, Dr George Siber | CSO of ClearPath; Vaccines, Scientific Advisory Board of Genocea ClearPath (2016-03-24). "Dr George Siber | Emerging Disease Vaccines". World Emerging Diseases Conference 2016. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  12. ^ a b c d e f "14th Annual World Vaccine Congress 2014". Terrapinn Holdings. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  13. ^ "Scientific Advisory Board". Vaxart Inc. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  14. ^ "Astellas To Form Strategic Partnership With Clearpath To Build Vaccine Portfolio-In-license Vaccine Technology for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) from Mymetics-". Astellas. 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  15. ^ "Genocea Biosciences Appoints Katrine Bosley As Chairman Of The Board Of Directors; Vaccine Industry Leader George Siber, M.D. To Serve As Executive Director And Head Of Scientific Advisory Board". BizJournals. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  16. ^ "George R. Siber, M.D." www.iliadbio.com. Retrieved 2024-12-25.
  17. ^ Crawford, Steve (2010-10-28). "Dr. George Siber Joins Ancora Pharmaceuticals Scientific". Bloomberg. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  18. ^ "Selecta Board of Directors". Selecta Biosciences. Archived from the original on 7 December 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  19. ^ "External Advisory Board – Dr George Siber". Aditec. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  20. ^ "Vaccine Industry Leader George Siber, M.D. Joins Vaxess Technologies As Chairman Of Scientific Advisory Board" (PDF). Vaxess Technologies. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  21. ^ "Prothena Scientific Advisory Board". Prothena. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  22. ^ a b "Scientific Team". Affinivax. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  23. ^ a b c "Genocea Prospectus". NASDAQ. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  24. ^ "George Siber, MDCM". Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  25. ^ The PREVENT Study Group (1997-01-01). "Reduction of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalization Among Premature Infants and Infants With Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Using Respiratory Syncytial Virus Immune Globulin Prophylaxis". Pediatrics. 99 (1): 93–99. doi:10.1542/peds.99.1.93. ISSN 0031-4005.
  26. ^ "Crucell N.V.'s Supervisory Board Nominates Mr. W. Burns, Mr. J. Shannon And Mr. G. Siber As New Board Members". BioSpace. 2010-03-15. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  27. ^ a b "Bishop's University to celebrate Class of 2024 achievements during Convocation Ceremonies". Bishop University.
  28. ^ "Genocea Biosciences Inc (GNCA:NASDAQ GM)". BusinessWeek. 2014. Archived from the original on July 11, 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.