Class II Tetramer Production
Tetramer reagents for more than 30 different HLA class II alleles are produced through the Tetramer Core Laboratory. These reagents can be used to study human CD4+ T cell responses over a wide cross section of the population. Class II tetramers that can be used for CYTOF mass cytometry are also being produced in the core laboratory.
T Cell Epitope Discovery
A robust, generalized approach has been developed and implemented to systematically identify CD4+ T cell epitopes. This approach is applied to identify T cell epitopes within Categories A, B and C pathogens, tumor antigens, allergens and antigens associated with autoimmune diseases in humans.
Autoimmune Disease
Tetramers and other antigen specific T cell assays are used to examine autoreactive T cells in type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus and other autoimmune diseases. Experiments are designed to determine the molecular mechanisms of HLA and autoimmune disease association. HLA that are linked to disease susceptibility or disease protection have been identified. Contrasting the behavior of T cells restricted by susceptible and protective HLA alleles should provide insights into disease mechanisms and suggest strategies for intervention.

Bill Kwok, PhD
Lab Members

Cynthia Cousens-Jacobs

Rebecca Gomez

Briana Hall

Alexandra Johansson

Grace Kim

Timothy Kountz, PhD

Marysia Radka
Research Projects

CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in Rheumatoid Arthritis

DNA-barcoded HLA class II tetramers

Allergen epitope specific CD4+ T cells
Featured Publications
Technical Validation and Utility of an HLA Class II Tetramer Assay for Type 1 Diabetes: A Multicenter Study.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab
Evidence for broad cross-reactivity of the SARS-CoV-2 NSP12-directed CD4(+) T-cell response with pre-primed responses directed against common cold coronaviruses.
Front Immunol
Distinct trajectories distinguish Antigen-specific T cells in peanut-allergic individuals undergoing oral immunotherapy.
J Allergy Clin Immunol
Characterizing T cell responses to enzymatically modified beta cell neo-epitopes.
Front Immunol
HLA-DR3 restricted environmental epitopes from the bacterium Clostridium tetani have T cell cross-reactivity to the SLE-related autoantigen SmD.
Front Immunol

Using Your Own Cells to Fight Autoimmune Disease
For nearly 20 years, Dr. Buckner has been working to find a more targeted approach with fewer side effects. And she’s among a handful of scientists pursuing an intriguing idea: Can we use gene editing to change cells that cause disease into cells that protect you from disease?

The Power of Tetramers: A Tool Developed by Bill Kwok, PhD
Bill Kwok, PhD, has made groundbreaking discoveries and built a tool that’s fueled countless advances. But he makes his work and his path to BRI sound simple: Why study the minute details of the immune system? Well, he’s curious — he was always at the library as a kid.

BRI Races to Understand COVID-19
BRI scientists were sure of one thing when the novel coronavirus struck: They had the expertise to make swift progress toward understanding it and finding better treatments. “Studying how the immune system responds to viruses has been part of our work for years,” says BRI’s President Jane Buckner

Science in Seattle: Characterizing T Cell Responses to Enzymatically Modified Beta Cell Neo-Epitopes
Read the publication ➡
Publication of the Week: Cross-Reactive and Mono-Reactive SARS-CoV-2 CD4+ T Cells in Prepandemic and COVID-19 Convalescent Individuals
Read publication ➡