Figure 1. About Dr Horii. Dr Toshihiro Horii studied Biology and Physiology at Osaka University (Japan). After he completed his PhD in 1981, he stayed in the Department of Molecular Genetics at Osaka University as research associate. From 1984 to 1986 Dr Horii gained experience in the Department of Microbiology at Dartmouth Medical School (NH, USA). A few years after his return to Osaka University, he became Head at the Department of Molecular Protozoology, and since 2005 has also been Director of the Research Center for Infectious Disease Control and International Research Center for Infectious Diseases. Dr Horii’s research focuses on the development of malaria vaccines and drugs. In addition, he and his team are using molecular and cell biological approaches to analyze the mechanisms by which plasmodium adapts to a new host. Other interests include population genetics, meta-genomics and infectious diseases. Dr Horii has published more than 150 original research papers in various peer-reviewed journals, as well as many review articles and commentaries. He is an active member of many professional societies, including the Japanese Society for Vaccinology, and has received numerous awards and honors, such as the 51st Koizumi Prize awarded by the Japanese Society of Parasitology in 2004.