Mavis Agbandje-McKenna | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 11, 1963 |
| Died | March 3, 2021 (aged 57) Gainesville, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | British / Nigerian |
| Alma mater | University of Hertfordshire University of London |
| Known for | Parvovirus structure-function characterization |
| Awards | 2020 ASGCT Award Winner, 2018 University of Florida Innovator of the Year, 2017 Basic Science Award Recipient, 2006 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Distinguished Mentor Award |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Structural Virology |
| Institutions | University of Florida |
| Doctoral advisor | Stephen Neidle |
Mavis Agbandje-McKenna (April 11, 1963 – March 3, 2021) was a Nigerian-born British medical biophysicist, structural virologist, and a professor of structural biology, as well as the director of the Center for Structural Biology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Agbandje-McKenna studied parvovirus structures using X-ray crystallography and cryogenic electron microscopy and did much of the initial work to elucidate the basic structure and function of adeno-associated viruses (AAVs). Her viral characterization and elucidation of antibody binding sites on AAV capsids has led to the development of viral capsid development and gene therapy approaches that evade immune detection and can be used to treat human diseases such as muscular dystrophies. Agbandje-McKenna was recognized with the 2020 American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy Outstanding Achievement Award for her contributions to the field. She died in 2021 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ("Lou Gehrig's disease").[1][2]