Samuel Pasco
ESR 7
Project: Elucidation of the host response to facilitate more effective vaccines
Organisation/Institute: CIC bioGUNE | Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (Bilbao, Spain)
Supervisor: Prof. Juan Anguita
I graduated from Furman University with a B.S. in Biology and Spanish. I discovered a love for scientific research during my undergraduate thesis project, where I studied environmental endocrinology in aquatic invertebrates. I then obtained my ASCP MLS certification following training and rotations through the clinical laboratories of the University of Pennsylvania Hospital System. There, I discovered my passion for infectious diseases while learning diagnostic techniques like culturing bacteria and serologically identifying evidence of infection.
My research career began when I earned a M.Sc. in Molecular Medicine from Trinity College Dublin. For my thesis project, I characterized the anti-inflammatory effects of immunomodulatory poxviral peptides on innate DNA sensing pathways. I translated my skills to an industry position supporting clinical validation of antimicrobial resistance diagnostics for regulatory approval. Before joining the BactiVax program, I supported clinical research on dengue vaccine development with the U.S. Army.
I am excited to join the BactiVax consortium to discover, develop, and optimize vaccines to combat increasingly resistant bacterial infections.