Dr. Yvonne Paterson

Biography

Yvonne J. Paterson is a distinguished Emeritus Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. With an extensive academic background, she obtained her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Manchester and a B.A. in Mathematics/Philosophy from the Australian National University. She completed her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Melbourne University. Her research expertise focuses on rational approaches to immune intervention in neoplastic and infectious diseases. Over the years, her laboratory has made significant strides in understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that render proteins immunogenic. Her work predominantly revolves around the development of strategies to enhance immune responses and design effective vaccines for viral diseases, including HIV. Utilizing Listeria monocytogenes as a vector, her laboratory has pioneered approaches for vaccine development that induce cytotoxic T cells and have explored novel strategies in cancer immunotherapy. Paterson's groundbreaking studies on fusing antigens with bacterial proteins have opened new pathways in the quest for safer cancer immunotherapies. Her research currently targets various cancers, including cervical, breast, lung, melanoma, and lymphoma.

Research Interests