Shingles is a common disease in older adults caused by reactivation of latent varicella-zoster virus. The recombinant zoster vaccine, Shingrix, provides highly effective, long-lasting protection against the disease.
In this project, researchers seek to understand the mechanisms by which Shingrix provides long-lasting protection. To accomplish this, the team combines advanced immune profiling, tetramer technology, and molecular analyses to characterize the vaccine-induced CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses.
Additional Research Projects
Allergen-Specific CD4+ T Cells in Allergy and Immunotherapy
The Kwok Lab uses class II tetramer reagents to study allergen-specific CD4+ T cells and understand how these cells change during immunotherapy.
DNA-Barcoded HLA Class II Tetramers
The Kwok Lab is developing DNA-barcoded HLA class II tetramers to analyze the specificity, TCR clonotypes, surface protein expression, and gene expression profiles of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells at single-cell resolution.
Autoreactive CD4+ T Cells in Type 1 Diabetes
The Kwok Lab uses second-generation tetramer reagents to detect and characterize autoreactive CD4+ T cells during type 1 diabetes immunotherapy.
