Hertz Lab

Many important cellular response mechanisms are activated when a peptide binds to an appropriate receptor. In the immune system, the recognition of pathogen peptides begins when they bind to cell membrane Major Histocompatibility Complexes (also known as HLA - Human Leukocyte Antigen). HLA proteins then carry these peptides to the cell surface in order to allow the activation of cytotoxic T-cells. The HLA binding cleft is highly polymorphic and therefore protein-peptide binding is highly specific. Developing computational methods for predicting protein-peptide binding is important for vaccine design and treatment of diseases like cancer.

 

Our lab focuses on applications of HLA binding predictors in the following domains:

 

• Host-pathogen co-evolution

 

• Vaccine analysis and design

 

• T-celll sieve analysis