Anne Wyllie, PhD
Biography
Research & Publications
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Appointments
Biography
As compared to the gold standard nasopharyngeal swab, Dr. Wyllie’s work has identified saliva as a reliable sample type for the sensitive detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) in healthy older adults and more recently, SARS-CoV-2 in persons suspected of COVID-19. Improved detection of the pneumococcus has unveiled hidden reservoirs of pneumococcus in older adults which holds importance when new vaccination strategies for preventing pneumococcal disease are being considered. For COVID-19, sampling saliva can alleviate many of the bottlenecks encountered in the mass testing strategies required to control continuing outbreaks. In an effort to address many of these issues, Wyllie further validated and optimized saliva for SARS-CoV-2 detection and developed SalivaDirect: a simple, scalable and importantly, cost-effective method to help alleviate SARS-CoV-2 testing demands.
Education & Training
- PhDUtrecht University, Medical Microbiology (2016)
- MBioMedSciUniversity of Auckland, Cancer Immunology (2009)
- BMedSciUniversity of Auckland, Immunology and Microbiology (2007)
Honors & Recognition
Award | Awarding Organization | Date |
---|---|---|
Young Investigator Award in Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases | European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) | 2023 |
Unlocking Potential Grant | Microbiology Society | 2022 |
2021 Outstanding Manuscript of the Year | The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities | 2022 |
World Changing Ideas: Finalist | Fast Company | 2022 |
COVID-19 Research Award | Yale School of Public Health | 2021 |
Medal of Excellence | Northcote College Board of Trustees | 2020 |
Departments & Organizations
- Center for Infection and Immunity
- Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases
- SalivaDirect
- Weinberger Lab
- Yale School of Public Health