Research: INFLUENZA Folding Project #15426

Influenza A has caused four global pandemics between 1918 and 2009.

Constant genetic drifts and shifts in the influenza viral genome pose a continual threat for new viral species with pandemic potential to emerge.

Despite annual updating, seasonal vaccines are often ineffective against pandemic strains, prompting the development of broadly neutralizing antibodies.

The goal of this project is to explore the development of broadly neutralizing antibodies starting from germline antibody precursors, which may be better optimized for binding to the viral epitope than the naturally selected mature antibodies produced by the adaptive immune system.