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Infectious Diseases Research

Research Overview

Dr. Zhang’s research focuses on the Vaccine Development and the immune mechanism of protection against important human pathogens, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, etc.

B- and T-cell mediated responses are two important arms of adaptive immunity, which provide different protection mechanisms against infectious diseases. Antibodies directed to the secreted toxins and the surface molecules, e.g. polysaccharides (PS) and membrane proteins, are highly effective against invasive infection of pathogens, whereas the immunity mediated by CD4+ T-cells, such as Th1 and Th17 cells, plays critical roles in the control and elimination of mucosal and intracellular pathogens.

Dr. Zhang has developed a novel technology, the multiple antigen presenting system (MAPS), which provides an efficient and effective platform to elicit comprehensive B- and T-cell immunity against PS and protein antigens. This technology has wide-range implications to the development of novel vaccines against many important human pathogens for which both humoral and cellular immunity play critical roles in protection. Candidate vaccines against a variety of pathogens, including S. pneumoniae, S. aureus, M. tuberculosis, and Salmonella typhi , have been designed and evaluated. Potent immune responses specific to the target pathogens have been observed in animals received candidate vaccines. Further preclinical studies on the protection of these vaccines against disease in animal models are ongoing. Roles of humoral and cellular immunity in the protection against different target pathogens are also investigated. In addition to the vaccine development, I am also interested in using MAPS platform as a research tool to study how immune system responds differentially to various antigens and the underlying mechanisms. I wish to evaluate the effects of various chemical, physical and molecular properties of antigens in the activation of antibody and cellular immune responses, and to identify co-factors that can facilitate or inhibit specific type of humoral or cellular immunity.

Research Background

Fan Zhang received her PhD from Tsinghua University in China. She undertook Postdoctoral training first in the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University, and then in the Division of Infectious Disease at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Publications

  1. Protection against Staphylococcus aureus Colonization and Infection by B- and T-Cell-Mediated Mechanisms. mBio. 2018 10 16; 9(5). View Abstract
  2. Antibody-mediated protection against Staphylococcus aureus dermonecrosis and sepsis by a whole cell vaccine. Vaccine. 2017 07 05; 35(31):3834-3843. View Abstract
  3. Capsular Polysaccharide (CPS) Release by Serotype 3 Pneumococcal Strains Reduces the Protective Effect of Anti-Type 3 CPS Antibodies. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2016 02; 23(2):162-7. View Abstract
  4. The classical lancefield antigen of group a Streptococcus is a virulence determinant with implications for vaccine design. Cell Host Microbe. 2014 Jun 11; 15(6):729-740. View Abstract
  5. Multiple antigen-presenting system (MAPS) to induce comprehensive B- and T-cell immunity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Aug 13; 110(33):13564-9. View Abstract
  6. Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 mediates inflammatory responses to oligomerized RrgA pneumococcal pilus type 1 protein. J Biol Chem. 2013 Jan 25; 288(4):2665-75. View Abstract
  7. A bivalent vaccine to protect against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Salmonella typhi. Vaccine. 2012 May 14; 30(23):3405-12. View Abstract
  8. Chaperone-mediated pathway of proteasome regulatory particle assembly. Nature. 2009 Jun 11; 459(7248):861-5. View Abstract
  9. A novel sorting strategy of trichosanthin for hijacking human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2009 Jul 03; 384(3):347-51. View Abstract
  10. A novel strategy for the invasive toxin: hijacking exosome-mediated intercellular trafficking. Traffic. 2009 Apr; 10(4):411-24. View Abstract
  11. Specific interaction between Smad1 and CHIP: a surface plasmon resonance study. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2005 Feb 25; 40(3-4):133-6. View Abstract
  12. Trichosanthin induces leakage and membrane fusion of liposome. IUBMB Life. 2003 Dec; 55(12):681-7. View Abstract
  13. Change in pH-dependent membrane insertion characteristics of trichosanthin caused by deletion of its last seven C-terminal amino acid residues. Biochemistry (Mosc). 2003 Apr; 68(4):436-45. View Abstract
  14. The effects of protein hydrophobic exposure on the slope of the line in the deltapi vs pi(i) plot. IUBMB Life. 2002 Aug; 54(2):73-9. View Abstract

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