Publication Spotlight: Mapping Immunogenic Regions in SARS-CoV-2 to Understand Vaccine Design using Bioinformatics
I have been in research for a very long time. There is something exhilarating about uncovering information, and for me, particularly information that could help in the field of medicine. And even though that end result is important, the process of getting to the end result is also important, because that is where experience has made me a better researcher, more able to uncover, well, more! This is one of the reasons I think undergraduate research experiences are so important, not just to bring knowledge to light, but to equip the participants with the ability to follow that research path again, and apply the research thought-process to other aspects of their lives.
In this study, the authors report on results from a undergraduate research study that used the Immune Epitope Database Analysis Resource (IEDB), a free tool created with funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The objective of the study was to predict immune evasion of SARS-CoV-2 variants and support future peptide-based vaccine design by examining the immunogenic regions on the spike glycoprotein. The results suggest that leveraging timely data and bioinformatics could make it possible to identify candidate epitopes that are both highly antigenic and sufficiently conserved by filtering out those that mutate quickly. However, the process is highly dependent on access to the most up-to-date data, emphasizing the need for viral surveillance.
The publication also discusses the overall research experience action steps, giving the reader insight into the beneficial effects that research experiences can have on students. Although research was the primary skill set practiced, other skills such as communication and presentation were also learned and will make the students more competitive in their job searches. Science that can also build job skills is definitely a win-win!
J. Rocha, B. Anderson, J. Morales, C. Salgado, C. Smith, M. Jarjapu, M. Mendes, N. Blazeka, and S. Vemu. Mapping Immunogenic Regions in SARS-CoV-2 to Understand Vaccine Design using Bioinformatics. Journal of Advanced Technological Education. Vol. 2, Issue 2. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8260361