The goal of the B Cell Epitope Discovery and Mechanisms of Antibody Production program is to identify novel B cell epitopes and elucidate novel mechanisms of antibody-mediated protection or pathogenesis that are important in humoral immunity in humans to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and potential agents of bioterrorism and their toxins. Results from this B cell epitope discovery program will advance our understanding of antibody functions and greatly facilitate the design and development of improved immunotherapeutics, diagnostics, and vaccines. In addition, an expansion of the list of known B cell epitopes and antibody functions will facilitate the development of more robust algorithms and mathematical models to predict B cell epitopes and antibody-mediated immune responses to pathogens and toxins in vivo. This contract will identify b cell epitopes for Dengue virus, Hepatitis C virus, Ebola virus, and Chikungunya virus.
