Andrés Finzi, a regular researcher in the Immunopathology research theme and the Canada Research Chair in Retroviral Entry, has been elected a Member of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC).

In a press release today, the RSC announced the official list of the Members and Fellows of its class of 2020.

Andrés Finzi, also a Université de Montréal professor, and 49 other new Canadian members, scholars and artists, were selected by their peers for their remarkable contribution to Canadian intellectual life.

“This prestigious recognition is proof of the scope and excellence of the scientific discoveries made by Andrés Finzi and his team in the area of HIV/AIDS and, more recently, COVID-19. It illustrates the importance of basic research in understanding disease mechanisms and developing new diagnostic tools and therapeutic approaches,” stated Vincent Poitout, Scientific Director of the CRCHUM and Director of Research at the CHUM.

Election to the Royal Society of Canada is one of the highest honours a scholar working in the arts, humanities and sciences can receive. The election of Andrés Finzi attests to his remarkable achievements.

Andrés Finzi specializes in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). He is currently the director of the CRCHUM’s retroviral entry laboratory and is recognized internationally as a leader in the areas of HIV replication and the effector functions of antibodies.

His research work has already identified several of the immune evasion mechanisms of HIV and has contributed to the development of new therapeutic strategies.

In April 2019, Andrés Finzi and Daniel Kaufmann, a regular researcher at the CRCHUM, were awarded a $2M grant over a five-year period from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for their project entitled “Unlocking HIV-1 Env Towards a Cure”.

In March 2020, like many of his colleagues at the Research Centre, he shifted part of his research activities to another virus: SRAS-CoV-2, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Driven by the urgent need to act, the researcher successfully mobilized the members of his team.