Jo Anne Tucker

Biography

Jo Anne Tucker, Ph.D., is an Associate Project Scientist, Step IV, in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine. She received her Ph.D. in Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, where her dissertation focused on Foxp3 expression in non-small cell lung cancer. Following her doctoral work, Tucker completed a Cancer Research Training Fellowship at the National Cancer Institute's Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology.

Tucker's research focuses on cancer immunotherapy and the development of therapeutic vaccines. Her work spans multiple cancer types, including lung, prostate, cervical, and melanoma, with particular emphasis on T cell-mediated immune responses and the tumor microenvironment. She has contributed to the development of protein nanoparticle-based vaccine platforms for cancer treatment, including work demonstrating curative efficacy when combined with checkpoint inhibitors in melanoma models. Tucker has also investigated the immunological and psychosocial aspects of cancer survivorship, examining relationships between immune profiles, cytokines, and quality of life in cancer survivors.

Tucker has authored or co-authored over 25 peer-reviewed publications and holds a patent for protein nanoparticles and combination therapy for cancer immunotherapy. Before joining UC Irvine in 2013, she worked in clinical laboratory settings at the University of Kentucky Hospital, where she gained experience in immuno-molecular pathology and cytology. She is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.

Education

• B.S. in Biology, Chemistry minor, Eastern Kentucky University, 1997
• Ph.D. in Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, College of Medicine, 2010

Distinctions

• Technology Transfer Award, NCI, 2012
• Cancer Research Training Fellowship, National Cancer Institute, Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, 2013
• National Scholar Honor Society, 2006
• Delta Epsilon Iota Honor Society, 2006
• Regent's Scholarship, Eastern Kentucky University, 1992
• Employee of the Month, University of Kentucky Hospital, 2002