Ami Patel

Ami Patel serves as Assistant Professor at The Wistar Institute's Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, where she leads research on next-generation solutions for emerging infectious diseases using DNA-based platforms. Her work bridges preclinical development and clinical translation of vaccines and immunotherapeutics.

Patel earned her B.Sc. in microbiology & immunology from McGill University, M.Sc. in Medical Microbiology from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Ph.D. in medical microbiology from the University of Manitoba. She completed postdoctoral training at San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, University of Pennsylvania, and The Wistar Institute.

Her research program focuses on DNA vaccine development against Ebola, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2, alongside pioneering work in DNA-encoded monoclonal antibodies (DMAbs). The laboratory investigates immune mechanisms of protection, correlates of immunity, and strategies to enhance vector durability through innate immune modulation. Notable achievements include clinical translation of anti-Ebola DNA vaccine (NCT03831503) and SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate development completed in 10 weeks from design to FDA approval (NCT04336410).

• Caspar Wistar Fellow (2020)

Patel leads preclinical immunological studies for the Wistar team's SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 DNA vaccine candidate and has secured multiple clinical trial validations for her platform technologies. The Patel Laboratory maintains active collaborations with federal agencies and industry partners for rapid response to emerging pathogens.

Research operations are conducted through specialized biosafety-level facilities at The Wistar Institute, with ongoing work on influenza variants, antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, and novel DMAb engineering approaches for enhanced effector function.