Dr Micha Nübling, Head of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut's "Major Policy Issues, Coordination" Division, was awarded the IPFA Award 2022 on 21 September 2022. The International Plasma and Fractionation Association (IPFA) is an association of not-for-profit manufacturers of human plasma medicinal products. Members of the IPFA include blood banks and plasma fractionators from every continent. The association is committed to ensuring a steady and safe supply of plasma-derived medicinal products and improving patient access to those products. Dr Micha Nübling received the award in recognition of his exceptional contributions in the field of blood safety.
Since the mid-1990s, Dr Nübling has been actively involved in the introduction of new nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) methods for the testing of blood and plasma donations. NAT methods are now routine in the testing of blood and plasma donations and in the testing of intermediates in the biological medicinal products production process. Before these molecular test methods became mandatory, Micha Nübling was responsible for the development of specifications for the validation of the tests, the required detection limits and the test design.
Dr Nübling is the third winner of the IPFA Award after Dr Michael Busch (San Francisco) and Prof Thierry Burnouf (Taipei). IPFA President Stuart Chesneau presented the IPFA Award 2022 at this year's "Workshop on Surveillance and Screening of Blood-Borne Pathogens", which the IPFA and the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut hosted together from 21-22 September 2022 in Porto, Portugal.
In a short lecture, Dr Nübling described the importance of the synergism of test-based research and the regulation of blood and plasma products. Only scientific analysis of the new test methods made it possible to introduce them in Germany, in Europe and beyond. Now they are generally accepted around the world.
Updated: 23.09.2022
