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Viral evolution to escape immune responses of T-cells and B-cells

Viral evolution is driven in part by the need to evade immune responses of the host. Through a process of random mutations and selection pressure by the immune system of the host, viruses can develop novel variants that can escape immune responses of both antibodies and T-cells. We are developing computational immunoinformatic tools to predict which mutations are likely driven by immune pressure, including both T-cell and antibody responses. We have been applying these tools to study the evolution of influenza and SARS-CoV-2. Identification of such mutations may help improve vaccine design to combat rapidly evolving pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2.

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Capturing the immunodominant antibody binding modes to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

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 T-cell escape prediction pipeline

Contact

Contact us

Hertz Lab
Faculty of Health Sciences
Dept. of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics
National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev
Bldg. 41, Room 105
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev,
P.O.B. 653, Be'er-Sheva 84105, Israel
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