High-throughput prediction of protein antigenicity using protein microarray data

Christophe N. Magnan, Michael Zeller, Matthew A. Kayala, Adam Vigil, Arlo Z. Randall, Philip L. Felgner, Pierre Baldi

Abstract: Discovery of novel protective antigens is fundamental to the development of vaccines for existing and emerging pathogens. Most computational methods for predicting protein antigenicity rely directly on homology with previously characterized protective antigens; however, homology-based methods will fail to discover truly novel protective antigens. Thus, there is a significant need for homology-free methods capable of screening entire proteomes for the antigens most likely to generate a protective humoral immune response.