Dr. Yi-Pin Lin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Global Health at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University. His primary research interest is to investigate the host-pathogen interactions in different reservoir animals. Specifically, he aims to identify the mechanisms of how pathogens evade host immune clearance, informing the development of immunotherapeutic approaches. Using Lyme disease bacteria as the model, his laboratory has established the in vitro and in vivo tick feeding platforms and in multiple laboratory and reservoir animal (laboratory mice, quail, white-footed mice, and American robins). Through these models, he has pinpointed several host and pathogen determinants that confer Lyme disease bacterial dissemination/persistence in reservoir animals using multi-disciplinary approaches. He further defined and patented an engineered Lyme disease bacterial protein a vaccine candidate targeting one of these identified immune evasion mechanisms, complement system. Dr. Lin is currently investigating the protective mechanisms and developing that candidate as a human vaccine and reservoir targeted prevention against tickborne pathogens.

Outside of the lab, he is a world traveler and enjoys meeting people, learning culture, and trying different local food. He has visited more than 110 countries from North and South America and Europe to West Africa, Central Asia, and Middle East, and that number is still increasing!