Dr. Anne Wyllie takes saliva-based testing beyond Covid-19
The significant contributions of Dr. Anne Wyllie to Covid-19 testing and clinical research at the Yale School of Public Health
3 Aug 2023
Dr. Anne Wyllie has been recognized for her contributions in the field of medical microbiology and her pivotal role in the development of SalivaDirect™, an effective and accessible Covid-19 testing method that utilizes saliva as a sample type. The application of this approach extends to detecting pathogens beyond Covid-19, including influenza and RSV infections, and holds the promise of establishing a multi-pathogen panel.
Dr. Wyllie's efforts in the fight against Covid-19 lead to the Northcote College Board of Trustees commemorating her as an inspiration to future generations with the Medal of Excellence in 2020.
In 2021, she was honored with the Covid-19 Research Award by the Yale School of Public Health for her exceptional contributions to Covid-19 research. The following year, her manuscript on SalivaDirect earned her the 2021 Outstanding Manuscript of the Year award from The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities.
In 2022, Dr. Wyllie's achievements were further acknowledged when she became a finalist in the World Changing Ideas category by Fast Company. Her tireless dedication and innovative work also earned her the prestigious Unlocking Potential Grant from the Microbiology Society in the same year.
Furthermore, her groundbreaking research in the field of medical microbiology was celebrated with the Young Investigator Award at the 2023 European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
SelectScience® CEO, Kerry Parker, spoke to Dr. Anne Wyllie about her journey from a dedicated student in New Zealand to her current role as pioneering researcher at the Yale School of Public Health. Listen now to explore the journey of SalivaDirect and how this continues to inspire ongoing research efforts in clinical testing.
From curiosity to expertise
Dr Anne. Wyllie's academic journey began in her hometown of Auckland, New Zealand, where she pursued her passion for biomedical sciences. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences and went on to complete her Master's in Cancer Immunology at the University of Auckland.
Following the completion of her Masters, Wyllie relocated to London to fulfil her desire to explore Europe. However, her efforts to find a job in her field were hampered due to the ongoing recession. After a year and half working in university administration, Wyllie’s indomitable aspiration to follow a career in research saw her move to Amsterdam where she secured a role as research technician for a group exploring the respiratory microbiome at UMC Utrecht.
Despite previous self-doubts in her scientific aptitude, this role inspired Anne Wyllie to pursue a Ph.D. within this group. Throughout her doctoral research, she focused on exploring the utility of saliva as a diagnostic sample for detecting Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacterium responsible for various respiratory infections. Through this work, Wyllie demonstrated that saliva sampling from healthy individuals significantly improved the detection of the clinically important bacterium compared to the traditional gold standard nasopharyngeal swab.
Value to public health
After obtaining her Ph.D., Dr. Anne Wyllie joined the Yale School of Public Health as a research scientist. Her work at Yale continued to revolve around medical microbiology, where she aimed to enhance the detection of respiratory pathogens.
When the Covid-19 pandemic struck the world, Dr. Wyllie swiftly recognized the potential of saliva as an alternative sample for SARS-CoV-2 detection. She set out to validate and optimize saliva-based testing for Covid-19, and her efforts bore fruit with the development of SalivaDirect. This cost-effective, fast, and accurate Covid-19 test eliminated the discomfort associated with nasopharyngeal swabs and allowed for widespread testing.
The team simplified the standard PCR test by removing the cumbersome and resource-intensive RNA extraction step and replaced it with a simplified workflow. Post Covid-19, ongoing efforts aim to expand their SARS-CoV-2 assay using saliva as a sample type to also detect other respiratory pathogens, for both clinical diagnostics and research purposes.