Biography

Yongxiu Yao is the deputy head of Avian Oncogenic Viruses group at The Pirbright Institute. Her major interest is in the host/virus interactions to unravel the molecular mechanisms of tumour formation by avian oncogenic viruses. 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 of avian herpesviruses for studying viral pathogenesis and developing recombinant vaccine.

Currently, Yongxiu is leading several projects using CRISPR/Cas9 editing and CRISPRi/CRISPRa tools to ask fundamental questions on host-virus interactions.