Fahima Akther, PhD

she/her/hers

Postdoctoral Associate

DownloadHi-Res Photo

About

Titles

Postdoctoral Associate

Biography

Fahima Akther, born and raised in Chittagong, Bangladesh, began her scientific journey with a pharmacy degree from the University of Development Alternative. She earned a master’s in biomedical engineering from Chonnam National University in South Korea, where she researched wild soybean genetics and functional foods. Her passion for translational research led her to a PhD at the University of Queensland, where she developed 3D human heart and blood vessel models to study cardiovascular diseases and COVID-19.

Now a postdoctoral researcher in the Martinez Lab at Yale, Fahima studies antibody responses in dengue virus infection and contributes to the development of mRNA-LNP vaccines targeting multiple dengue serotypes.

Last Updated on June 18, 2025.

Education & Training

PhD: University of Queensland , Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) (2023)

MSc: Chonnam National University , Biomedical Engineering (2017)

BPharm: University of Development Alternative , Pharmacy (2014)

Research

Overview

As a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University, I bridge bioengineering and immunology to investigate the mechanisms by which vaccines elicit protective adaptive immune responses. My research focuses on optimizing mRNA-lipid nanoparticle (mRNA-LNP) vaccine platforms against viral infections, using dengue virus as a model system. I have demonstrated that an mRNA-LNP vaccine encoding dengue viral structural proteins can confer protection against lethal challenge in vivo. Building on these findings, I am now exploring how enhancing tissue-resident immunity, particularly skin-resident memory T cells, can improve vaccine efficacy at barrier sites, where many viral infections are first encountered.

A major focus of my work is to dissect the cellular and molecular drivers of long-term immunity, specifically the contributions of vaccine-induced T and B cell responses. Using humanized mouse models, high-parameter flow cytometry, and single-cell transcriptomics, I study how different vaccine formulations and delivery routes shape immune memory. My training in bioengineering provides a unique systems-level perspective on how to rationally design immunomodulatory platforms that coordinate both arms of adaptive immunity: cellular and humoral.

In parallel, I am investigating mechanisms of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of dengue virus infection, a major concern in vaccine design. My research seeks to understand how different IgG subclasses and Fc gamma receptor (FcγR) interactions influence ADE, with the aim of identifying antibody features that separate protective from pathogenic responses. This work has broad implications not only for dengue but for other flaviviruses and viral diseases where ADE is a concern.

Altogether, my research aims to inform the rational design of next-generation vaccines and immunotherapies by integrating fundamental insights into immune regulation with innovative vaccine technologies. With expertise spanning bioengineering, immunology, and translational virology, I am committed to developing immunological interventions that offer safe, robust, and durable protection against infectious diseases.