Johanna M. Jefferies
Papers
2
Total Citations
56
H-Index
2
About
Dr. Johanna M. Jefferies is a leading figure in the development of high-throughput molecular epidemiology, with a primary focus on the automation of bacterial typing for public health surveillance. Her most significant contributions lie in pioneering the automation of Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (MLST), a critical tool for tracking infectious disease outbreaks. Her seminal 2003 paper, "Automated Pneumococcal MLST Using Liquid-Handling Robotics and a Capillary DNA Sequencer" (38 citations), demonstrated the first robust integration of robotics and capillary sequencing to dramatically accelerate the typing of *Streptococcus pneumoniae*. This work was further refined in her 2006 study, "Automation of MLST Using Third-Generation Liquid-Handling Technology" (18 citations), which showcased enhanced efficiency and reproducibility. By transforming a labor-intensive manual process into a scalable, automated workflow, Jefferies’ innovations have enabled real-time molecular surveillance of pneumococcal strains, directly impacting vaccine development and antibiotic resistance monitoring. Her work remains a cornerstone for modern genomic epidemiology, empowering laboratories worldwide to respond faster to emerging bacterial threats.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Automation of MLST Using Third-Generation Liquid-Handling Technology18 citations · 2006