Dr. Scott Napper

Biography

Scott Napper holds a joint position at the University of Saskatchewan as a Professor of Biochemistry and as a Senior Scientist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Center (VIDO-InterVac). He is trained as a protein biochemist with research interests focused on the application of structure-function investigations in the context of infection and immunity. His work includes the development of vaccines for diseases related to protein misfolding that induce immune responses specific to misfolded species. Dr. Napper aims to address key obstacles in vaccine development for proteinopathies, including prion diseases and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He is responsible for developing peptide arrays that enable high-throughput analysis of intracellular signal transduction activity, which has provided insights into therapeutic targets for several important diseases, including numerous infectious diseases in humans and animals as well as cancer. Additionally, Dr. Napper has a strong interest in science education and actively works within the secondary education system to help translate higher-level science to mentorship programs for undergraduate and high school students. He is a three-time recipient of the University of Saskatchewan Teaching Excellence Award.

Research Interests