About Dr. Arunee

Dr. Arunee Thitithanyanont leads multiple projects and participates in numerous collaborations. Under her leadership, her team has developed serological assays, virus infection models and viral discovery platforms that aim to improve diagnostic methods, uncover the mechanisms of pathogenesis and develop vaccines and therapeutic strategies of viral pathogens like HIV, Influenza and the most recent SARS-CoV-2.

Dr. Arunee started her career as a pediatrician. Her pursuit of uncovering the mechanisms for microbial pathogenesis using basic research began upon a case of pythosis in a young patient. The patient presented with life-threatening symptoms caused by the fungus Pythium insidiosum, which had no known cure. Motivated to provide remedy, she began her research until she encountered a feasible cure in the form of an experimental vaccine used to treat equine pythosis, which was developed by P. insidiosum specialists headed by Dr. Leonel Mendoza. Upon Dr. Arunee's request, the immunotherapeutic vaccine provided by Dr. Mendoza was administered to the patient. A year after the administration of the vaccine, the patient was deemed clinically cured. This became the first successful case of an experimental vaccine, used to treat equine fungal infections, that was administered to treat a human in Thailand. This became a pivotal moment that propelled Professor Arunee towards a career in basic research and instigated her goal to develop therapeutics that would lead to saving more lives.

Dr. Arunee’s research has become instrumental in the recommendation of mitigation strategies against important viral pathogens that have afflicted Thailand, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has earned her numerous accolades including the L’Oréal Thailand COVID-19 solidarity prize in the field of life sciences and as an honoree on the Asian Scientist 100 list.