Adaptive immune responses, whether from natural infection or vaccination, generate high-affinity antibodies and memory B-cell subsets that provide protection against (re-)infections. This humoral immunity is essential for host defense, driven by the diversity of antibodies that recognize and neutralize pathogens. Molecular and functional characterization of pathogen-specific human monoclonal antibodies has been crucial in advancing vaccines and antibody-based therapies.
Our research unit combines basic and translational research to uncover the mechanisms of humoral immunity in infectious diseases, with particular focus on HIV-1, hepatitis viruses, SARS-CoV-2, and Chikungunya virus. Our integrated approach involves serological and cellular analyses alongside detailed molecular and functional studies of antigen-specific monoclonal antibodies.
Our main goals are to identify functional epitopes for vaccine design and to discover potent neutralizing antibodies for therapeutic development, thereby bridging fundamental research with clinical applications to combat infectious diseases.
The HI-LAB
Over the years….
