Pulendran Lab
Principal Investigator: Bali Pulendran
Institution: Stanford University (Stanford, CA)
Primary Subfield: Immunology
Recruitment Status: Inquire for rotation/fellowship opportunities
Research Focus
PROJECT SUMMARY Vaccine adjuvants are essential components that enhance the magnitude, breadth, and durability of immune responses. While individual adjuvants have improved vaccine efficacy, the mechanisms by which combination adjuvants synergize to shape immune responses remain poorly understood. The ability to rationally design combination adjuvants hinges on a deeper mechanistic understanding of their immunological effects. This proposal builds on foundational work with the yellow fever vaccine YF-17D, which activates multiple innate immune pathways and has informed the design of synthetic adjuvant combinations that mimic its robust immunogenicity. Leveraging this approach, we will evaluate three clinically relevant combination adjuvants: (1) T4Q, a TLR4 agonist plus QS-21 in liposomes (AS01-like); (2) TRAC-478, a TLR4 and TLR7/8 agonist in squalene emulsion; and (3) T4M, a TLR4 agonist with a Mincle ligand on silica nanoparticles. These combinations engage diverse pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and reflect platforms with translational potential. Using a recombinant influenza vaccine model, we will apply systems immunology—integrating high- dimensional immune profiling and…
Active NIH Awards
- 1R01AI198215-01: Systems immunology of combination adjuvants (2026)
- 5U01AI165527-05: Systems biological assessment of vaccination-induced protective immunity in African children (2026)
- 3U01AI165527-05S1: Systems biological assessment of vaccination-induced protective immunity in African children (2026)
- 5U19AI167903-05: Administrative Core (2026)
- 5U19AI167903-05: Systems biological assessment of innate responses to vaccination (2026)
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