Maria Karolaynne da Silva

Since 2019, my research focus has been on the description of peptide sequences (antigens) for use in viral vaccines and immunodiagnostic tests. To this end, I screened the amino acid sequences of the structural and non-structural proteins of the viral model (under study) to obtain the antigenicity, allergenicity, immunogenicity, toxicity, epitope conservation, population coverage, and physicochemical properties. After identifying the major epitopes, I modeled their optimal spatial conformations and several vaccine prototypes. The tertiary structure of the epitopes and/or vaccine is refined and validated. Through docking experiments, we assessed molecular coupling to key immune receptors. To improve the quality of docking calculations, quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations (QM/MM) were used, with the QM part of the simulations performed using the density functional theory formalism (DFT). Cloning and codon optimization were performed for successful expression of the vaccine in E. coli. Finally, I studied the immunogenic properties and immune response of the multiepitope vaccine.

CNPQ profile: http://lattes.cnpq.br/50606308...

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ka...

July 2022