Jennifer Yates
PhD, University at Albany School of Public Health, 2013
Postdoctoral Training: Trudeau Institute, Saranac Lake, NY
Postdoctoral Training: Wadsworth Center / NYSDOH Albany, NY
Affiliation
Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health
Dr. Jennifer Yates has extensive experience in immunology-related research in both academic, industrial, and clinical settings. Much of her research has focused on B cell immunology -specifically the response to infection, immunization, and the subsequent generation of humoral memory. In 2013 she received her doctoral degree in biomedical sciences from the University at Albany School of Public Health where she performed phenotypic and functional studies of the long-term humoral immune response in a mouse model of human ehrlichiosis. Her graduate studies identified a T-cell dependent IgM memory B cell population and demonstrated a requirement of the IgM memory B cells for secondary IgG responses to specific antigen challenge in E. muris infected mice.
Dr. Yates began her post-doctoral training at the Trudeau Institute (Saranac Lake, NY) in the laboratory of Dr. Elizabeth Leadbetter where she examined the interactions between a specialized innate-like T cell population – the invariant natural killer T cell (iNKT) and antibody-producing B cells. Further post-doctoral training at the Wadsworth Center in the laboratory of Dr. Nicholas Mantis involved pre-clinical testing of a candidate ricin toxin vaccine.
More recently, Dr. Yates joined the Diagnostic Immunology Laboratory at the Wadsworth Center to aid in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic response and become versed in clinical serology testing for emerging, vector-borne, or vaccine preventable infectious diseases. The Diagnostic Immunology Laboratory (DIL) was among the first laboratories to secure FDA emergency use authorization for a multiplex immunoassay to detect SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies. The laboratory continues to develop and refine new serological assays to address the evolving COVID-19 landscape, including the measurement of antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 variants. As part of that effort, Dr. Yates continues to lead DIL teams that identify and characterize immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 following infection and/or vaccination.
Research interests
- Humoral Memory
- Infectious Disease
- Human Serology
- Diagnostics
Research concentrations
- Infection & Immunity
Sample studies
Yates JL, Ehrbar DJ, Hunt DT, Girardin RC, Dupuis AP 2nd, Payne AF, Sowizral M, Varney S, Kulas KE, Demarest VL, Howard KM, Carson K, Hales M, Ejemel M, Li Q, Wang Y, Peredo-Wende R, Ramani A, Singh G, Strle K, Mantis NJ, McDonough KA, and Lee WT “Serological analysis reveals an imbalanced IgG subclass composition associated with COVID-19 disease severity.” Cell Rep Med. 2021 Jul 20;2(7):100329 PMID: 34151306
Yates JL, Leadbetter E, Mantis NJ “Alpha-galactosylceramide (αGalCer) enhances vaccine-induced protection in a model of ricin intoxication.” Hum Vaccine Immunother 2018;14(8):2053-2057 PMID: 29617191
Hägglöf T, Sedimbi SK, Yates JL, Parsa R, Salas BH, Harris RA, Leadbetter EA, and Karlsson MC “Neutrophils license iNKT cells to regulate self-reactive innate B cell responses.” Nature Immunology 2016; 17: 1407-1414
PMID: 27798616
Vomhof-DeKrey EE, Yates JL, Hägglöf T, Lanthier P, Amiel E, Veerapen N, Besra GS, Karlsson MC, and Leadbetter EA Leadbetter “Cognate interaction with iNKT cells expands IL-10-producing B regulatory cells”. PNAS 2015; 112(40) 12474-12479 PMID: 26392556
Yates JL, Racine R., McBride K., and Winslow GM “T-dependent IgM Memory B cells generated during bacterial infection are required for secondary IgG responses to antigenic challenge” The Journal of Immunology 2013; 191(8): 1240-1249 PMID: 23804710