- Prof. Sai Reddy (ETH Zurich, Department of Biosystems Science & Engineering)
Sai Reddy is the principle investigator of the Laboratory for Systems Immunotechnology, whose research is focused on the nascent field of experimental systems immunology, which is at the intersection of biomolecular engineering, systems biology, and immunology. This research is exemplified by a technology he co-developed on monoclonal antibody discovery without screening. This work combined high-throughput DNA sequencing, bioinformatics and synthetic biology and demonstrated how systems immunology can directly impact biotechnology. In addition, Prof. Reddy has also expertise in nanoparticle vaccine delivery, biomaterials, and protein engineering. Affiliate Members of AntibodyX
- Prof. Annette Oxenius (ETH Zurich, ETH Zurich, Institute of Microbiology) The lab of Annette Oxenius has a longstanding interest in infection immunology both in murine experimental infection models and in humans with particular focus on adaptive immunity. Over the past decade the lab of Annette Oxenius has provided a number of seminal contributions to this field including the generation of a number of T cell receptor transgenic mice with specificity for a viral antigens; the analysis of the differentiation and function of virus-specific T cells in the context of acute and chronic viral infections; antibody-mediated control of intracellular bacterial infections; modulation of HIV-specific immunity by antiretroviral therapy or interruptions thereof and mechanisms of bystander T and B cell activation during HIV infection.
- Prof. Alexandra Trkola and Dr. Michael Huber (University of Zurich, Institute of Medical Virology)The Trkola Group and Michael Huber have a longstanding interest in studying the humoral immune response to HIV infection. Over the past two decades they have authored a number of seminal, highly cited studies in the field. In particular, they contributed to the discovery of several potent broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnMAbs). Their work on the in vivo impact of neutralizing antibodies is internationally well renowned. Especially, they were the first to show that passive immunization delays viral rebound in HIV-infected patients. Trkola and Huber contributed as well to the understanding of the mechanism of HIV neutralization and escape, envelope evolution, effector functions of the humoral immune response to HIV and elicitation and affinity maturation of bnMAbs.
- Prof. Lars Hangartner (University of Zurich, Institute of Medical Virology) Lars Hangartner’s Research Group has been focused on the development of vaccines against antigenically instable or persistency-prone viruses that are not readily controlled by antiviral antibodies. He also investigated interactions between exogenous and endogenous viruses, antibody-mediated cellular immune responses, and humoral immune responses against the conserved epitopes of highly variable viruses. Since he joined the Institute of Medical Virology in 2008, he switched his prime focus towards the humoral immune response to influenza A viruses. Here he aims to derive information on the type, frequency and modes of induction of heterotypic antibodies that considered pivotal for the creation of a much-needed pan-influenza vaccine.
- Dr. Roland Regoes (ETH Zurich, Institute of Integrative Biology) Roland Regoes is a mathematical biologist whose research is focused on Mathematical Virology and Immunology, specifically on the population biology of pathogens and their hosts. He has been focusing on virology and immunology since his PhD. His research spans many different spatial and temporal scales relevant to host-pathogen systems: the molecular level relevant to how viruses infect host cells, the organismal level that is most relevant clinically, and also the epidemiological and evolutionary level. Roland Regoes’ contributions include the development of a mathematical framework integrating pathogen emergence and adaption, the first estimation of the speed of cytotoxic T cell killing in vivo, and insights into the role of target cell limitation in early Simian Immunodeficiency infection. Furthermore, he contributed to the paradigm shift towards repeated, low-dose challenge design in preclinical HIV vaccine trials by highlighting the statistical and conceptual benefits of this new approach. More recently, his group developed spatially explicit simulations of lymphocyte dynamics in lymphatic tissue, and models to estimate how many antibody molecules are required to neutralize HIV.