Dr. Ane Ogbe is an Associate Scientific Director at Moderna. Previously a postdoctoral immunologist at the University of Oxford, her work contributed to the current understanding of HIV and COVID-19 immunology.
Her research has been largely driven by the desire to gain insights into the dynamic role T cells play in the development and maintenance of immunity to infectious diseases. She began her scientific career in Nigeria, where she studied for a bachelor's in biological science at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Afterwards, she completed both her master's and Ph.D at Brunel University London where she identified a new role for 2 genes (Egr2 and 3) involved in regulating how T follicular helper (Tfh) cells differentiate.
For her postdoc, she joined the University of Oxford, collaborating with the Duke University – The National Institutes of Health CHAVI-ID consortium to investigate how CD4+ Tfh drive immune responses that lead to the development of broadly neutralising antibodies (bNAbs) in chronic HIV infection. She also worked as the lead immunologist in the RIO (Rockefellar, Imperial and Oxford University Collaboration) HIV clinical trial on bNAbs.
During the pandemic, Dr. Ogbe applied her expertise to characterising SARS-COV-2 immunology in natural infection and vaccination across immunocompetent and immunocompromised cohorts. Her work provided insights into the magnitude, durability, and quality of the immune response and informed vaccination policies.
She has now pivoted into industry where she continues to lead the development of immunological methods profiling immune cells to address questions relating to the quantity and quality of immune responses.
Dr. Ogbe is passionate about public engagement and spends her pastime, gardening, travelling or more recently, learning to sew.
To learn more about her work or connect with her, visit, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ane-Ogbe and https://www.linkedin.com/in/aneogbe.
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Time stamps:
00:00 - intro
01:34 - early beginnings, academic and research journey, including experience learning in Nigeria vs. UK
08:24 - research project highlights: background, findings, and implications [T follicular helper cells & antibody function]
14:10 - (contd.) HIV and broadly neutralising antibodies (bNAbs)
21:22 - (contd.) COVID-19 vaccines
24:21 - transitioning to industry
28:04 - tips and pieces of advice for scientists interested in industry roles
32:46 - efforts to support science research, education, and mentorship in Nigeria/Africa + potential ideas for those interested in doing the same
43:07 - thriving through challenges
49:06 - closing remarks
52:54 - outro