Dr Yaw Bediako is a Research Fellow at WACCBIP as well as Founder & CEO at Yemaachi Biotech, Prior to his time at WACCBIP, he carried out research at the Francis Crick Institute and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) as a Post Doctoral Research Fellow.
He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Microbiology and Immunology from Northwestern University - The Feinberg School of Medicine and Bachelor's degree in Biology from Calvin University.
His PhD research was focused on understanding T-cell responses to intracellular bacterial infections, investigating the development of a unique subset of T-cells and exploring their potential as targets in Mycobacterium tuberculosis vaccine design. His work at the Francis Crick Institute was targeted at employing systems immunology to uncover immune biomarkers associated with susceptibility to malaria in children. A project presenting an immensely comprehensive study detailing immune signatures associated with repeated malaria episodes in a human cohort- exploring causal relationships between malaria pathogenesis and changes in immune function.
Beyond academic research, Dr Bediako is passionate about promoting the development of world-class scientific capacity in Africa, leading him to establish the African Science Initiative- an online networking platform for young African scientists. He believes young people are the single most important resource Africa possesses and they will be key to the continent’s success.
In recognition of his interest in promoting the development of young scientists, he was appointed to serve a 2-year term as a member of the Early Career Advisory Group (ECAG) of the journal eLife Sciences.
At Yemaachi Biotech, his goal involves using cutting edge immunogenomics, bioinformatics and artificial intelligence to accelerate the development of cancer detection and cure strategies, ultimately with the goal of lowering the economic burden of cancer on the African continent.
