Akira Homma holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the Federal Fluminense University and a Ph.D. in Sciences from the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo. He specialized in virology at Baylor College of Medicine, United States of America, as a fellow of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
He served as president of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) and the Molecular Biology Institute of Paraná (IBMP), vice-president of Technology at Fiocruz, and director of the Institute of Immunobiological Technology at Fiocruz (Bio-Manguinhos) in two terms, where he also chaired the Scientific-Technological Council.
He was elected one of the 50 most influential people in the world in vaccines, having received over 20 awards and titles and published more than 70 articles in indexed journals.
He is currently Senior Scientific Advisor at Bio-Manguinhos, Emeritus Researcher at Fiocruz, and Vice President of Biotechnology at Abifina. He participates in organizing scientific events with international scientists, such as the International Symposium on Immunobiologicals (ISI).