Multivalent display of sugar antigens via site selective enzymatic modification of cholera toxin

In this project, you will be involved in developing and evaluating next-generation approaches for the production of conjugate vaccines. The majority of such vaccines are produced by non-specific conjugation of the antigenic material to a carrier protein with heterogeneity in both the position of labelling and the degree of labelling of individual proteins within the sample. Recent studies have suggested that the precise number (and position) of the antigens displayed on a protein may have profound effects on the immune response the conjugate elicits in the body.

In this project, you will develop methods for the controlled site-specific labelling of proteins with defined valency. You will build on the work previously carried out in Webb/Turnbull laboratories on labelling of proteins (for more information see webb.leeds.ac.uk) to both develop new strategies for selective labelling and to apply them to the field of vaccine development. The project would suit a graduate in either chemistry or biochemistry with an interest in work at the interface of chemistry, biochemistry and immunology. The project will require the development of skills in molecular biology, protein overexpression and purification, peptide synthesis, protein modification and characterisation and immunology.