Immune response to pathogens is a complex and multi-layered process. The main tool an organism uses to fight pathogenic organisms is its ability to produce specific proteins – antibodies. Each antibody is specifically tailored to bind to a particular type of molecule present on the surface of bacteria or viruses, known as antigens. It is important to note that during an immune response, a wide array of antibodies is produced to target pathogens in different ways, mainly by recognizing different antigen regions.
In my research, I work on implementing a novel structural method that allows for quick evaluation of different antibodies bound to various regions of an antigen simultaneously. I use negative stain electron microscopy and cryogenic electron microscopy to map the bound antibodies and generate a structure of the antibody–antigen complex. The development of this method can significantly contribute to the field of vaccine design by significantly increasing the speed of the mapping process.