Master project proposal (60 credits)
When a human being is infected by a pathogen such as Sars-CoV-2, antibody production is triggered. The antibodies or so-called immunoglobulins (Ig) label the pathogen as “alien” thus guiding the immune system to react against the intruder. There are several important antibody-mediated effector functions such as
• phagocytosis (ADCP)
• cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC)
• NETosis
Even though there are five distinct classes of immunoglobulins, research’s main focus has been on IgGs while other classes remain understudied.
Our lab has started to venture into IgA research and successfully produced human monomeric IgA monoclonal antibodies against Sars-CoV-2’s spike protein. We would now like to produce dimers and characterize the abovementioned functions. The antibodies will be produced by a human cell line and purified from the supernatant with the help of FPLC. We then plan to utilize Flow cytometry, microscopy and set up biochemical assays to study the differences between IgA monomers and dimers.
Contact:
Quantitative Immunobiology Lab www.nordenfeltlab.com
pontus.nordenfelt@med.lu.se and berit.olofsson@med.lu.se
