The primary focus of the lab is the development of chemical methodologies to incorporate multiple antigens from a variety of stage(s)within well defined molecules to provide if required both a humoral and cell mediated response to a particular pathogen. In order to accomplish these objectives, the laboratory maintains state-of-the-art technology in organic synthesis, separation, compositional and structural analyses of proteins,peptides, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids. Facilities and expertise in biochemical methodologies employed in protein/peptide research are maintained. Current on-going projects includes: 1. Synthesis and construction of multiple peptide conjugates based on antigens from the malaria parasite, Anthrax pathogen and those comprising the functional domains of the HIV Tat protein. 2. Establishment of new techniques for covalently linking synthetic peptides to lipopolysaccharide carriers including new covalently bound adjuvants for evaluation of the immunogenicity of malaria and anthrax peptides. 3. Provides strong support within CBER employing techniques in mass spectrometry for quality control of peptide or polypeptide products intended for vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics. 4. Synthesizes chemically defined peptides mimicking parasitic proteins for the study of molecular pathogenesis. Peptide construct may involve the synthesis of a chemically modified peptide structure to enhance activity. 5. Development of biochemical methodology utilizing tandem mass spectrometry to enhance the determination of phosphorylation sites within proteins.
