Vasso is a Distinguished Professor and Director of the Longevity and Chronic Diseases Program at RMIT University. Her expertise spans immunology, biomarker discovery and translational research, with a focus on improving health and longevity through vaccines, drugs, bioactive compounds and AI-driven healthcare. Her work addresses cancer, neurological disorders, autoimmunity, infectious and metabolic diseases, and lifestyle interventions.

Vasso was a Chief Scientific Officer for 4Gvaccines, is on the board and consults for pharmaceutical companies worldwide, and is the Director of VAConsulting. She has undertaken research in various capacities at Oxford University, Scripps Research Institute USA, Mater Institute Qld, ANU Canberra, University of Melbourne. She was head of the Immunology & Vaccine Unit at the Austin Research Institute and at the Burnet Institute; the Immunology Program Leader in the Centre for Chronic Diseases; was the Mechanisms and Interventions in Health and Disease Program Leader at VU. In 2018-2022 she was part of the senior executive team being the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Associate Provost and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research Partnerships. Currently she is a Distinguished Professor at RMIT University, working towards Healthy Longevity.

Vasso was the first to develop a method of immunotherapy to stimulate the immune system in the early 1990s, which today is used by hundreds of labs around the world. These studies led to >25 phase I, II, III human trials of vaccine formulations for breast and ovarian cancer which attracted investment by pharma. Of note, one of the studies now has long-term follow-up data showing that 27 years later those injected with the vaccine remain cancer free.

Committed to the benefits of immunotherapy, Vasso has applied several immunotherapies to other diseases including MS, diabetes, drug addiction, Alzheimer’s’ disease as well as several cancers.

She has received over 100 research awards, some of which include, the Premier’s Award for Medical Research, Young Australian of the Year (Vic), Channel 10/Herald Sun Young Achiever of the Year, Victorian Tall Poppy, Prix Galien Award and has been inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women. She has been named Greek Australian of the Year, Woman of the Year, Greek Woman of the World, and one of the most successful Greeks abroad by The Times Magazine. She holds the Order of Australia (AM) and the Commander of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece).

With 550+ publications and books, 20 patents and supervision of over 100 PhD students, Vasso ranks in the top 0.13% of researchers worldwide