Deiters group just received an NIH R21 grant titled “Identification of post-translationally modified antigens using genetic code expansion“. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins are indispensable for biological processes and are known to be present in important antigens recognized by T cells across many diseases, including autoimmunity and cancers. In collaboration with the Joglekar lab in the Dept of Immunology, the Deiters group will develop a novel methodology to interrogate these antigens by employing genetic code expansion to site-specifically incorporate PTMs into so-called SABRs, signaling and antigen-presenting bifunctional receptors.
