B CELL EPITOPE DISCOVERY AND MECHANISMS OF ANTIBODY PROTECTION.

该合同支持鉴定来自四种病毒病原体的人类B细胞表位;登革病毒4型，Powassan病毒，基孔肯雅病毒和委内瑞拉马脑炎病毒，结合基础研究，以了解抗体介导的保护性免疫，以及抗体反应的病理后果。重要性包括1）表位鉴定; 2）表位验证，其必须包括使用人样品的体外评价; 3）向免疫表位数据库和分析资源提交表位数据、计算机软件和结构数据;以及4）研究以帮助理解与新鉴定的表位相关的抗体引起的保护或发病机制。该合同的主要目标是描绘有效中和或保护性抗体识别的B细胞表位，并评估保护相关性，以帮助开发针对特定节肢动物传播病毒的疫苗和治疗方法。承包商选择了两种黄病毒（登革病毒4型和Powassan病毒）和两种甲病毒（基孔肯雅病毒和委内瑞拉马脑炎），用于对病毒糖蛋白抗原的抗体反应进行初步研究。承包商还将评估识别西尼罗河病毒和寨卡病毒产生的黄病毒非结构蛋白1（NS 1）的保护性抗体。

This contract supports the identification of human B cell epitopes derived from four viral pathogens; Dengue virus 4, Powassan virus, Chikungunya virus, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, combined with basic studies to understand protective immunity mediated by antibodies, as well as pathological consequences of antibody responses. Milestones include 1) epitope identification; 2) epitope validation that must include in vitro evaluation using human samples; 3) submission of epitope data, computer software, and structural data to the Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource; and 4) studies to help understand the mechanisms of protection or pathogenesis elicited by antibodies associated with the newly identified epitopes. The primary goal of this contract is the delineation of B cell epitopes recognized by potently neutralizing or protective antibodies and evaluation of correlates of protection that can aid in the development of vaccines and therapeutics against select arthropod-transmitted viruses. The Contractor has chosen two flaviviruses (Dengue virus 4 and Powassan virus) and two alphaviruses (Chikungunya virus and Venezuelan equine encephalitis) for primary investigation of antibody responses to viral glycoprotein antigens. The Contractor will also evaluate protective antibodies that recognize the flavivirus nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) produced by West Nile and Zika viruses.