DIRECTED EVOLUTION OF HUMAN CLASS II MHC DR1 MOLECULES

This project uses directed evolution and yeast surface display to engineer and characterize human class II MHC DR1 variants with increased antigenic peptide substrate specificity and affinity. This work may not only provide new insights into the molecular basis of peptide-MHC interaction, but also lead to the development of novel MHC-based diagnostic and therapeutic agents for cancer and autoimmune diseases.