Vaccines and vaccine immunology

Vaccines are a cornerstone of public health, particularly anti-viral vaccines, which have successfully protected against deadly viral infections like polio, chickenpox, rubella, and measles. However, traditional vaccine strategies often fail to protect against viruses such as HIV-1 and to provide broad protection against influenza. Therefore, researchers need new strategies to address the diversity and variability of these viruses.

Our research

The Pantophlet Lab focuses on designing new immunogens and vaccination methods to generate broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) that can protect against viruses like HIV-1, flu, and CoV. These antibodies target consistent epitopes across different virus strains. The lab aims to develop effective HIV and flu vaccines by studying bnAb responses and the molecular interactions between bnAbs and epitopes. This research will improve the engineering of immunogens to elicit bnAb responses.

Our research pursues five complementary aims:

  • Interrogating naïve B cell receptor interactions with designer immunogens in vitro
  • Probing immunogen design concepts in human antibody transgenic animal models
  • Exploring novel adjuvants and immunomodulatory platforms in vivo
  • Investigating the relevance of T follicular helper cell and T memory cell responses in vivo
  • Dissecting B cell responses at the serological, cellular, and monoclonal levels

Research infrastructure

The Pantophlet Lab uses various techniques and methods in immunochemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, molecular biology, immunology, and virology. Our lab is equipped with advanced technologies, including:

  • A Biomek i7 automated liquid handler
  • A BioXp 9600 automated nucleic acid synthesizer
  • An ÄKTA FPLC with MALS and RI detectors
  • An Octet RED96e biolayer interferometer
  • A RoboSep-S automated cell separator
  • A high-performance microplate luminometer
  • A high-performance cuvette & microplate spectrophotometer
  • A high-capacity microplate washer
  • Biosafety cabinets (class II)
  • CO2 incubators for mammalian tissue culture
  • Warm incubators and shakers for bacteria and yeast
  • Temperature-controlled table-top centrifuges and microcentrifuges
  • Thermocyclers
  • Heat blocks and waterbaths
  • Refrigerators and freezers (-20°C and -80°C)
  • Protein and nucleic acid gel electrophoresis apparatuses

Pantophlet Lab members also have access to two dedicated tissue culture rooms equipped with inverted microscopes and automated cell counters for mammalian tissue culture, along with a chemicals room featuring a pH meter and weighing scales for buffer preparation. Shared infrastructure immediately adjacent to the Pantophlet Lab includes a 4°C cold room for sample storage, an approximately 22,000-vial capacity liquid nitrogen storage unit, an ultracentrifuge, a floor-standing high-speed centrifuge, a GelDoc system, and a NanoDrop spectrophotometer. Additional shared facilities within the same building as the Pantophlet Lab include the Flow Cytometry Lab with advanced instruments for cell analysis and sorting, the BIO3 Lab with equipment such as a Real Time Cell Analyzer for research with BSL3 agents, and a room for dishwashing and autoclaving labware as well as autoclaving biohazardous waste. Research involving animals is conducted at Animal Care Facilities elsewhere on SFU’s Burnaby campus, supported by SFU’s Animal Care Services.

Research funding

Research in the Pantophlet Lab is funded primarily by operating grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the United States and contract funding from the Government of Canada. Lab infrastructure development has been funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF). Dr. Pantophlet received a Career Scholar award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) in British Columbia from 2012 to 2020.