Research
Lab mission
The Herman Antibodyomics Lab employs advanced systems biology techniques to study how the human humoral immune system, specifically antibodies and B cells, responds to infections. Our research program centers around analyzing these immune responses to develop effective vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases such as malaria, H. pylori, COVID-19 and HIV.
We utilize and develop systems-level tools to understand the human humoral immune system and then engineer it to protect patients from infectious disease. Our current methodologies include systems serology to study Fc- and Fab-driven antibody responses; phage-display immunoprecipitation sequencing (PhIP-Seq) to measure whole-proteome anti-pathogen antibody responses; and the development of new antibody and B-cell technologies to interrogate antigen-specific responses at a massive scale.
By integrating these findings, the HALab aims to inform the design of next-generation vaccines and immunotherapies that can provide robust protection against malaria and other infectious diseases, ultimately improving global health outcomes.
Current Projects
Allele-specific antibody mediated immunity from phage-display immunoprecipitation sequencing data. LEAD - Maya Weissman
Comparison of Antibody-mediated protection across different sporozoites vaccines in humans using Systems Serology. LEAD - Hollie David
Developing novel approaches to profile whole proteome antigen-specific B cell responses. LEAD - Daphne Diloretto
Profiling the antibody response to the full Plasmodium falciparum proteome using the malaria phage library, PlasmoScan. LEAD - Hyacintha Bisimwa
Perform system serology assays to understand the different types of malaria vaccine-induced immunity in non-human primate species. LEAD - Hyacintha Bisimwa
Studying natural antibody immunity to H. pylori to inform novel immune based treatments.
Affiliations
Broad Stem Cell Research Center (BSCR): The center supports innovation; excellence and the highest ethical standards focused on taking groundbreaking stem cell research from the laboratory to the patient.
California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI): The CNSI is where collaboration drives discovery, creativity triggers innovation and ideas that will define our future become a reality.
Molecular Biology Institute (MBI) at UCLA: The MBI is home to the laboratories of 200 faculty members from 14 campus units distributed across the David Geffen School of Medicine and the Divisions of Life Sciences and Physical Sciences.
Immunity, Inflammation, Infection & Transplantation (I3T): The Immunology, Inflammation, Infection, and Transplantation Research Theme (I3T) at UCLA is a large community of scientists and clinicians studying how the immune system operates in healthy individuals, and how the immune system becomes dysfunctional in disease.
UCLA Health Division of Infectious Diseases / David Geffen School of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases (UCLA Health – ID/ DGSOM-ID): The Division of Infectious Diseases is comprised of a diverse faculty with the shared goal of excellence in patient care, research, and education.