Dr. Sanja Selak
(front row, second from left) and the Serology and Immune Assays team at Intercell AG
Epitope discovery systems, such as ProImmune's Antigen Characterization Platform, often identify a large number of candidate epitope sequences.
While many protein sequences can potentially be antigenic only a few will be relevant as key antigens with addressable immune responses in vivo.
To complicate matters further, the available antigens from pathogens may alter over the course of an infection, as Dr. Sanja Selak of Intercell AG, Austria, outlined in her presentation at ProImmune's Antigen Characterization and Biomarker Discovery Summit in January 2011.
is investigating the B cell epitopes of pathogenic bacteria, and their potential for use in vaccination strategies.
Bacterial antigens are especially tricky to work with because bacteria do not express the same proteome consistently.
They react to their environment, in particular the availability of micronutrients, and respond by expressing the cellular machinery they require to survive, so that a whole gamut of new antigens can suddenly become available.
has to consider not only the 'who' of candidate epitopes from her
discovery strategies, but the 'when' 'where' and 'why', as bacteria adapt to survive in their local habitat.
Since animal models are of limited value with such well-adapted human pathogens, Dr. Selak
colleagues are now beginning to consider the potential offered by tissue explant cultures for simulation of bacterial microenvironment during infection.
Watch and listen to a slidecast of Sanja Selak's
presentation at the ProImmune Antigen Characterization and Biomarker Discovery Summit