Koen JurgensPhD student

Proteins are large biomolecules which facilitate cellular processes within organisms and are just like people in a society: each with a specific job to keep things running smoothly. The structures of proteins are very complex but analysing them in high detail help us to understand how proteins operate with other molecules or proteins. In our lab, we use cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to resolve protein structures at an atomic level. My project focuses on how different antibodies bind to targets of interest. When a pathogen like a bacterium or a virus invades our body, our immune system responds by producing antibodies to neutralize the attacking disease. These antibodies often target the proteins found on the surface of the pathogen, some of which are very important to facilitate the pathogen’s cell entry. However, some pathogens have found a way to overwhelm or evade our immune system, for which we need drugs and / or vaccines to survive or overcome an infection without permanent injury. So, we need to understand how antibodies bind to and neutralize the surface proteins of pathogens. These surface proteins will first be isolated and combined with purified antibodies from blood serum. Then, after visualization with cryo-EM, we should be able to find all the positions where antibodies bind to our target. In addition, we could also apply this strategy for autoimmune diseases, situations where produced antibodies target our own healthy cells, tissues, and proteins. With this knowledge, new antibodies could be developed for drugs and vaccines to defeat bacterial and viral diseases for which no effective treatments currently exist.