Outi Vaarala is vice-president and head of lung immunity department in respiratory, inflammation and autoimmunity, innovative medicines, at AstraZeneca in Gothenburg. Her department is responsible for biological research, ranging
from target identification to Phase 2 projects, including the invention of biomarkers for personalised treatments. Dr Vaarala is a medical doctor and a professor of pediatric immunology. Her
research is focused on the biological drivers of immune-mediated diseases, such as respiratory and autoimmune diseases. She has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals in the field of immunology.