Robinson Lab

As an NIH iPREP Fellow, I am leading a project that epitomizes my dedication to immunoinformatics and systems immunology: the identification of immunogenic CD8+ T cell epitopes in Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), a major cause of viral myocarditis. Driven by a desire to bridge computational and experimental immunology, I independently developed a bioinformatics pipeline utilizing tools such as PSSMHCpan, NetMHCpan, and the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB). This pipeline synthesizes multiple computational algorithms to predict peptide-MHC class I binding affinities, generating ranked lists of candidate epitopes for subsequent in vitro validation. Beyond refining my technical expertise, this project exemplifies the creative problem-solving central to immunoinformatics—melding theoretical frameworks with actionable insights to address real-world challenges in immune research.

Presenting my findings at the 2024 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS) was a transformative experience, allowing me to share my work with a community of interdisciplinary scientists. This research has deepened my understanding of T cell-mediated immunity and its translational potential for vaccine development, while solidifying my commitment to immunoinformatics as a field where computation and biology converge to solve immunological puzzles.