Recent advances in the generation and selection of antibodies from combinatorial libraries allow for the rapid production of antibodies from immune and non-immune sources. This intensive laboratory/lecture course will focus on the construction of combinatorial antibody libraries expressed on the surface of phage and selection of desired antibodies from the library. Students will learn the theoretical and practical aspects of constructing combinatorial libraries from immune and non-immune sources as well as the construction of synthetic antibody libraries. Antibodies will be selected from the library by panning. Production, purification and characterization of Fab fragments expressed in E. coli will also be covered. In addition, Epitopes will be selected from synthetic peptide libraries and characterized.
The lecture series, presented by course faculty and a number of invited speakers, will emphasize PCR of immunoglobulin genes, the biology of filamentous phage and the utility of surface expression libraries, expression of antibodies in E.coli and mammalian cells, antibody structure and function, catalytic antibodies, directed protein evolution, retroviral and cell display libraries, the immunobiology of the antibody response, and recent results on the use of antibodies in therapy. The theory and practical implications for selection from phage displayed libraries of random peptides, cDNA products and semi-synthetic proteins will also be explored. We will also discuss principles and protocols for generation and analysis of immune repertoires determined by Next Generation Sequencing.
This course is supported with funds provided by: National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
Support & Stipends
Stipends are available to offset tuition costs as follows:
US applicants (National Institute of General Medical Sciences)
Interdisciplinary Fellowships (transitioning from outside biology) & Scholarships (transitioning from other biological disciplines) (Helmsley Charitable Trust)
International applicants (Howard Hughes Medical Institute)
Please indicate your eligibility for funding in your stipend request submitted when you apply to the course. Stipend requests do not affect selection decisions made by the instructors.
Cost (including board and lodging): $3,735
This button links to a short form which confirms your interest in the course. No fees are due until you have completed the full application process and are accepted into the course.
Students accepted into the course should plan to arrive by early evening on October 27 and plan to depart after lunch on November 10.