Michael Zwick, PhD
Professor of Immunology and Microbiology
Department of Immunology and Microbiology
Research Focus
Our laboratory focuses on HIV vaccine design and defining molecular vulnerabilities of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env). For over two decades, we have used Env as a model to understand how membrane context, protein structure, and conformational dynamics regulate viral entry, B-cell recognition, and neutralization.
We study how antibodies and small-molecule inhibitors engage Env across functional states, with particular emphasis on gp41 and the membrane-proximal external region (MPER), as well as how the gp41 cytoplasmic tail interfaces with the Gag/Matrix protein to regulate HIV assembly. We design immunogens that engage germline precursors of broadly neutralizing antibodies and evaluate them in human immunoglobulin knock-in mice and non-human primate models. More broadly, we seek general principles for targeting membrane-proximal epitopes with translational relevance beyond HIV.
Research Themes:
HIV vaccine design · broadly neutralizing antibodies · antibody discovery and engineering · membrane-proximal epitopes · viral entry · Env assembly & dynamics
Select Publications
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Leaman, Daniel P.; Stano, Armando; Chen, Yajing; Zhang, Lei; Zwick, Michael B. Membrane Env Liposomes Facilitate Immunization with Multivalent Full-Length HIV Spikes. Journal of virology 2021, 95, e0000521.
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Zwick, Michael B.; Prasad, Vidya M.; Lovendahl, Klaus N.; Lee, Kelly K.; Leaman, Daniel P.; Hodge, Edgar A.; Croft, Jacob T.; Benhaim, Mark A. Cryo-ET of Env on intact HIV virions reveals structural variation and positioning on the Gag lattice. Cell 2022, 185, 641-653.e17.
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Zhang, L.; Irimia, A.; He, L.; Landais, Elise; Rantalainen, K.; Leaman, D. P.; Vollbrecht, T.; Stano, A.; Sands, D. I.; Kim, A. S.; Poignard, Pascal; Burton, Dennis R.; Murrell, B.; Ward, Andrew B.; Zhu, Jiang; Wilson, Ian A.; Zwick, Michael B.; Miiro, G.; Serwanga, J.; Pozniak, A.; McPhee, D.; Manigart, O.; Mwananyanda, L.; Karita, E.; Inwoley, A.; Jaoko, W.; DeHovitz, J.; Bekker, L. G.; Pitisuttithum, P.; Paris, R.; Allen, S. An MPER antibody neutralizes HIV-1 using germline features shared among donors. Nature Communications 2019, 10.
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Stano, A.; Leaman, Daniel P.; Kim, A. S.; Zhang, L.; Autin, L.; Ingale, J.; Gift, S. K.; Truong, J.; Wyatt, Richard T.; Olson, Arthur J.; Zwick, Michael B. Dense array of spikes on HIV-1 virion particles. Journal of Virology 2017, 91, e00415-17.
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