Dr. Gaurav D Gaiha

The Gaiha lab is working to establish a T cell vaccine platform that uses structure-based network analysis, a novel approach that integrates protein structure data and network theory, to identify regions within pathogens that are resistant to mutation, define high stability T cell targets, and iteratively test vaccine candidates. Using this approach, Dr. Gaiha identified T cell targeting in individuals who spontaneously control HIV in the absence of therapy (Gaiha et al., Science 2019). These results are now being used to drive rational design of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines for HIV. The lab is also using this approach to study other pathogens of global significance, such as SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, in collaboration with industry partners, Dr. Gaiha is exploring a range of vaccine modalities to induce robust tissue-resident and systemic T cell immunity towards specific targets.