Date/Time
Date(s) - Fri 14 November
12:00 - 13:00
Location
Seminar Room, Malaghan Institute, VUW
Malaghan Institute seminar
Designing universal RNA vaccines by engineering antigens for broad immunity
The rapid success of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 has showcased the potential of programmable antigen design, yet ongoing viral evolution highlights the need for next-generation vaccines that elicit broader and more durable protection. Dr Connonr and her team have established an integrated “end-to-end” pipeline that couples AI-integrated protein engineering with mRNA antigen screening, custom B-cell bait reagents, and single-cell immune profiling to rapidly identify immunogens that recruit cross-reactive B cell responses to conserved viral epitopes.
In this seminar, Dr Connor will highlight a recent study on a membrane-anchored tandem receptor-binding domain (RBD) mRNA immunogen, which fuses antigenically divergent SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron RBDs on a single polypeptide. The divergent vaccine drives breadth through co-presentation of shared and variant-specific epitopes, eliciting potent neutralising antibodies and expanding cross-reactive B cells that recognise Delta, Omicron, and even the more distant SARS-CoV-1. Single-cell BCR sequencing revealed two distinct pathways to breadth: the divergent vaccine enriches germline-biased, clonally distinct cross-reactive B cells, whereas matched RBD pairings achieve cross-reactivity via affinity maturation within existing lineages.
Leveraging these mechanistic insights, the team are extending their approach to influenza. Their goal is to accelerate the development of pan-virus, universal RNA vaccines that provide broad, durable protection against current and emerging infectious threats.
Bio
Dr Lisa Connor is a Programme Leader at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research and Preclinical Pillar Lead for the New Zealand RNA Platform. She completed her PhD at the Malaghan Institute, studying memory CD4⁺ T cell responses to mycobacteria, before postdoctoral training at the Trudeau Institute in Upstate New York, where she investigated memory CD8⁺ T cell responses to respiratory viruses.
On returning to Aotearoa, Lisa’s research focused on the biology and transcriptional programming of dendritic cells. Awarded an HRC Sir Charles Hercus Research Fellowship, she established her independent laboratory at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington in 2018.
Now back at Malaghan, Lisa leads a programme investigating the immunobiology of vaccination, with a focus on respiratory pathogens. Leveraging expertise in mucosal vaccine development and mRNA technologies, her team aims to design smarter antigens and drive next-generation vaccine innovation.
Please note this is an in-person only seminar.
Note that if you are coming from outside the Malaghan Institute, please allow time to sign-in at reception for their start at 12pm.