Research Highlights

Research Foci: Efforts within the lab focus on three major applications of the mRNA platform. First, Kreider Lab members are working on various aspects of immunogen design to improve vaccine-elicited responses. The major focus is currently placed on HIV Env vaccine design to stabilize mRNA-encoded immunogens in the correct conformation, boost their expression to increase antibody responses, and immunofocus responses to epitopes of interest. Our HIV vaccines can be found in multiple published and forthcoming manuscripts and are entering Clinical Trials (see Publications). Second, others in the Lab are applying the mRNA platform to passively deliver antibodies against various pathogens. This includes efforts to deliver combinations of antibodies against HIV-1, but also mucosally-transmitted pathogens like Norovirus. Applying lessons from protein antibody engineering, we have tailored mRNA-encoded antibody design to better understand virus biology and develop tools that can be translated as interventions (see this work feature as an Online Cover). Finally, a subset of the Lab applies the targeted mRNA-LNP platform for precise immunomodulation and targeted delivery of antivirals. This focus consists of many lines of investigation, including the targeted delivery of Latency Reversing Agents as well as transient T cell modification to alter lymphocyte function.