Dr Lynette Beattie

Senior Research Officer, Department of Microbiology & Immunology

What does your research focus on and why is it important?

I am a cellular immunologist. I study the immune response to pathogens, including the parasites that cause Malaria. This is important because it helps us to understand how to ready our bodies to fight pathogens such as viruses including Influenza and Coronaviruses, and the bacteria and parasites that cause serious infections.

What was your first job in Biomedical Sciences?

During my university studies I worked at a private pathology laboratory registering samples and running pregnancy tests on blood samples. Apart from that, my first ‘real job’ was after I completed my PhD. I got a postdoctoral research scientist job at The University of York in the United Kingdom. My role was to look at the cellular immune response to a parasite called Leishmania donovani.

How do you see your area of research evolving in the next five years?

Covid has had a major impact on cellular immunology and vaccine research in the last two years. I think mRNA vaccines are a revolution that have the potential to have a major impact on infectious diseases in the third world, if the right mechanisms are put in place for their delivery.