Innovations in Functional B Cell Epitope Discovery for Influenza

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of the proposal is to discovery and validate novel human B cell epitopes that elicit antibodies associated with influenza infection. Influenza infections typically occur as annual epidemics, however, occasionally global influenza pandemics result from animal-to-human transmission of novel, antigenically distinct virus strains for which pre-existing immune memory lacks protective efficacy. The focus will be on epitopes that are broadly conserved and expressed by multiple influenza types and lineages.