Saul Tzipori
D.V.M., Ph.D., D.Sc., FRCVS
Research/Areas of Interest
Enteric infections and the host response; this includes viral, bacterial and protozoan pathogens of veterinary and medical importance causing acute or chronic diarrhea in the immunocompetent or the immunodeficient host; Therapy for cryptosporidiosis, Vaccine delivery systems, Monoclonal antibodies to HUS prophylaxis botulism antidote; Botulism antidotes and anti-toxins; Cryptosporidium genome sequencing
Education
- Doctor of Science, University Melbourne/Australia, AUS, 1985
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Queensland, Brisbane, AUS, 1974
- Doctor of Vet Medicine, University of Queensland, AUS, 1970
- FRCVS (Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons), Royal Society of Veterinary Medicine,, London, United Kingdom, 1990
Biography
Saul Tzipori, D.V.M., Ph.D., D.Sc., FRCVS, joined Tufts University in 1991 as professor in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology. He is currently a distinguished professor (since 2004) in the Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.
Tzipori has many years of research experience working with infectious diseases of humans and domestic animals, with reference to food and waterborne enteric pathogens (viral, bacterial, fungal, protozoa) and bacterial toxins. This includes investigating the relative contribution of virulence attributes to pathogenesis and disease, the screening and evaluation of chemical or immune-based therapeutic agents, and vaccine development and evaluation. He is best known for his expertise in cryptosporidiosis, microsporidiosis (Enterocytozoon bienusi), E. coli O157:H7 diarrhea, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in children, shigellosis, and Clostridium difficile, among others. He led a seven-year program of a major National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)-funded multicenter investigation focused on the development of countermeasures against biothreat infectious agents, leading eventually to obtaining funds for the construction of the New England Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (NE-RBL) on the Grafton campus of Cummings School. Together with colleagues from Tufts School of Medicine, he received funds under the Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health (GCGH; 2005–2011) to develop the Bacillus subtilis-based mucosal/oral vaccine delivery system and successfully used it for the development of needle-free, temperature-resistant vaccines against tetanus toxin and rotavirus. His team has focused primarily on the development of innovative methods for intervention to treat C. difficile, including the development of the gnotobiotic piglet model populated with adult human microbiome designed specifically for the studies of C. difficile infections, among others. Tzipori was funded under the NIAID Enteric-CETR Program (2014–2021) to develop childhood mRNA vaccines against cryptosporidiosis, and by the Gates Foundation to develop and evaluate therapeutics against this childhood diarrheal disease. He was Tufts University's principal investigator (PI) on a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project on global One Health, funded under the umbrella of the Emerging Pandemic Threats 2 (EPT-2) Program (2009–2020). He currently is member of the Tufts Stop Spillover team, a USAID-funded project (2020–2025), leading the Surveillance, Mapping and Modeling (SMM) Hub.
Tzipori earned his doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1971 and his Ph.D. in 1974, both at Queensland University. He also received his Doctor of Science degree from Melbourne University in 1985. Tzipori was awarded the title of Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (FRCVS) in 1990 for his outstanding contributions to the veterinary profession.
Tzipori was the recipient of the 2023 Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence and Outstanding Achievement and Dedication.
Tzipori has many years of research experience working with infectious diseases of humans and domestic animals, with reference to food and waterborne enteric pathogens (viral, bacterial, fungal, protozoa) and bacterial toxins. This includes investigating the relative contribution of virulence attributes to pathogenesis and disease, the screening and evaluation of chemical or immune-based therapeutic agents, and vaccine development and evaluation. He is best known for his expertise in cryptosporidiosis, microsporidiosis (Enterocytozoon bienusi), E. coli O157:H7 diarrhea, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in children, shigellosis, and Clostridium difficile, among others. He led a seven-year program of a major National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)-funded multicenter investigation focused on the development of countermeasures against biothreat infectious agents, leading eventually to obtaining funds for the construction of the New England Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (NE-RBL) on the Grafton campus of Cummings School. Together with colleagues from Tufts School of Medicine, he received funds under the Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health (GCGH; 2005–2011) to develop the Bacillus subtilis-based mucosal/oral vaccine delivery system and successfully used it for the development of needle-free, temperature-resistant vaccines against tetanus toxin and rotavirus. His team has focused primarily on the development of innovative methods for intervention to treat C. difficile, including the development of the gnotobiotic piglet model populated with adult human microbiome designed specifically for the studies of C. difficile infections, among others. Tzipori was funded under the NIAID Enteric-CETR Program (2014–2021) to develop childhood mRNA vaccines against cryptosporidiosis, and by the Gates Foundation to develop and evaluate therapeutics against this childhood diarrheal disease. He was Tufts University's principal investigator (PI) on a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project on global One Health, funded under the umbrella of the Emerging Pandemic Threats 2 (EPT-2) Program (2009–2020). He currently is member of the Tufts Stop Spillover team, a USAID-funded project (2020–2025), leading the Surveillance, Mapping and Modeling (SMM) Hub.
Tzipori earned his doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1971 and his Ph.D. in 1974, both at Queensland University. He also received his Doctor of Science degree from Melbourne University in 1985. Tzipori was awarded the title of Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (FRCVS) in 1990 for his outstanding contributions to the veterinary profession.
Tzipori was the recipient of the 2023 Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence and Outstanding Achievement and Dedication.