Agonists & Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs)

Through the study of fungal mannans, we demonstrate that the physical form of PRR ligands dictates the immune response. Specifically:

• Soluble mannans are immunosilent in the periphery.


• Soluble mannans elicit a potent pro-inflammatory response in the draining lymph node (dLN).

Borriello et al. 2022 Cell 185: 614-629

By modulating the physical form of mannans, we developed a formulation that targets both the periphery and the dLN. This formulation, when combined with viral glycoprotein antigens, achieves the following:

1. Broadens epitope recognition.


2. Elicits potent antigen-specific neutralizing antibodies.


3. Confers protection against viral infections of the lung.

The physical properties of microbial ligands determine the outcome of the immune response
Borriello et al. 2022 Cell 185: 614-629

…