Tan Research Group

The Antibody Biology Unit aims to study antibody responses to infectious pathogens at the monoclonal level. Our major goals are 1) to develop new antibody therapeutics or prophylactics to combat infectious disease, 2) to study the antibody responses to immunization and infection at high resolution, and 3) to investigate the use of monoclonal antibodies as tools for immunogen design. 

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Antibody Biology Unit, 2024. Front Row (left to right): Shi-Hsia Hwa, Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow; Mariah Lofgren, Ph.D. Student; Courtney A. Tucker, Ph.D. Student; Adriano Franco-Casín, Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow. Back Row (left to right): Samantha L. Petros, Biologist; Andrew J.R. Cooper, Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow; Cherrelle Dacon, Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow; Jake E. Kritzberg, Laboratory Manager; Joshua Tan, Earl Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigator; Weizhi William Zhong, Scientist; Hasmik Manukyan, Scientist.

Credit: NIAID

Joshua Tan, Ph.D.

Chief, Antibody Biology Unit
Earl Stadtman Investigator

Education:

Ph.D., University of Oxford, England

Dr. Tan received his Ph.D. from the University of Oxford, England. His Ph.D. work focused on the identification of unusual LAIR1-containing human monoclonal antibodies targeting antigens on Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes. After his Ph.D., he was awarded a Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship to continue his work on human monoclonal antibodies against human-infecting pathogens...

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Joshua Tan, Ph.D.

Andrew J.R. Cooper, Ph.D.

Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow

Education:

Ph.D., Immunology, University of Dublin, Trinity College 

Andrew’s research aims to assess antibodies targeting known and previously uncharacterized merozoite antigens for their suitability as prophylactic and therapeutic tools, by analysis of potency, affinity, and precise antigenic epitope. Moreover, he aims to investigate the differences in antibody responses triggered by malaria infection and immunization.

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Cherrelle Dacon, Ph.D.

Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow, Malaria Research Program

Education:

D.Phil., Infection, Immunology and Translational Medicine, University of Oxford 

Cherrelle’s work in the Antibody Biology Unit centers on the discovery and characterization of human monoclonal antibodies. Her current research focuses are (I) the identification of novel mAb targets on P. falciparum sporozoites and (II) the characterization of broadly neutralizing antibodies against infectious viruses. Ultimately, this work will guide immunogen design and the development of...

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Adriano Franco-Casín, Ph.D.

Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow 

Education:

Ph.D., Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University 

The main goal of Adriano’s research is to identify next-generation monoclonal antibody therapeutics. A similar approach is being used to identify new mAbs that target P. falciparum sporozoite CSP for clinical development. His main research interests include infectious diseases and antibody and immune memory development in response to pathogens.

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Shi-Hsia Hwa, Ph.D.

Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow

Education:

Ph.D., Infection and Immunity, University College London 

Shi-Hsia’s project aims to discover new B cell antigens in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) as well as functionally protective human monoclonal antibodies, using high-throughput, antigen-agnostic methods to isolate anti-Mtb antibodies from tuberculosis (TB)-exposed donors. While Mtb has a large number of protein, polysaccharide, and lipoglycan antigens that elicit specific antibodies, only a...

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Jake E. Kritzberg, B.A.

Laboratory Manager

Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory

Education:

B.A., Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder 

Jake supports and assists ongoing research projects focusing on human monoclonal antibodies to pathogenic viruses, malaria, and tuberculosis.

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Mariah Lofgren, B.A.

Ph.D. Student, NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program

Education:

B.A., Sarah Lawrence College

Mariah will take an antigen-agnostic approach to discover antibodies in conjunction with structural biology techniques to identify sites of vulnerability on  P. falciparum merozoites. With this work, she hopes to discover potential antibody and immunogen candidates for blood-stage malaria as well as help answer parasite biology questions. She’s excited about this project as it combines her...

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Hasmik Manukyan, M.Sc.

Scientist 

Education:

M.Sc., Environmental Chemistry, Yerevan State University 

Hasmik’s research interests are in PCR and NGS methods development and validation, as well as implementing various molecular biology techniques for diverse research purposes. At the Antibody Biology Unit, she is working to develop an NGS library preparation protocol for single-sorted B cells and B cell lines expressing target antibodies to assess B cell activation by candidate immunogens.

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Hasmik Manukyan, M.Sc.

Samantha L. Petros B.Sc.

Biologist

Education:

B.Sc., Translational Life Sciences and Technologies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County 

In the Antibody Biology Unit, Samantha contributes to the advancement of malaria research by dissecting and collecting sporozoites from malaria-infected mosquitos. Her work involves research into malaria parasite development, utilizing microscopy techniques and cell culture methods. Samantha is committed to advancing infectious disease research and addressing global health challenges.

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Courtney A. Tucker, B.Sc.

Graduate Student

Education:

B.Sc., Biology, American University

The focus of Courtney’s research project is to study antibodies that reduce or prevent the clinical manifestations associated with malaria infection using an antigen-agnostic approach to target asexual blood-stage malaria. Additionally, she is interested in identifying transmission-blocking antibodies capable of blocking the sexual reproductive cycle and parasite development in the mosquito vector...

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Weizhi William Zhong, M.Sc.

Scientist

Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.

Education:

M.Sc., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins University 

At the Antibody Biology Unit, William is dedicating his efforts to the advancement of antibody engineering through the strategic utilization of cell surface display technologies. His work is focused on improving the affinity and avidity of antibodies, employing these biotechnological methods to pave the way for groundbreaking developments in therapeutic interventions and antibody research.

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Former Research Group Members

  • Lauren E. Purser, B.Sc.
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