Yongxiu Yao

Yongxiu obtained her Ph.D. in Molecular Virology from the University of Reading studying the host range of the influenza virus. After a post-doctoral position working on prion protein folding and the human immune response to SARS, Yongxiu joined the Pirbright Institute in 2005 to work on avian oncogenic viruses studying the role of virus and host-encoded microRNAs in oncogenesis. Following significant contributions to the field of miRNAs through the identification of several novel herpesvirus-encoded miRNAs and their roles in pathogenesis, she has recently focused on the application of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing for studying viral pathogenesis and developing a recombinant vaccine.