Yoni received his Bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Princeton University. He began his studies in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology, and is working toward his Ph.D. in Medical Engineering.

Yoni joined the Center for Engineering in Medicine in January 2005. His work focuses on viruses, both as pathogens and as gene delivery vectors.

Yoni’s first project was a cooperation with Dr. Monica Casali, who has been studying the mechanisms of retroviral vector decay, a problem with both industrial and clinical implications. Yoni initiated work on modifications of the viral vector that would allow control over the maturation process of the virus.

Taking advantage of the CEM’s expertise in studying the human liver, Yoni has recently been cooperating with Dr. Koby Nahmias and Dr. Raymond Chung to study ways to selectively express genes in hepatitis C virus-infected hepatocytes. The ability to express genes in virus-infected hepatocytes will have broad impact on our understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of this often-fatal disease.