Shawn S. Foti, BS

Position: Research assistant at the TB/HIV Research Laboratory Brown University (Kilguss Building, WIH) Email: Education: BS Biological Sciences cum laude; Northeastern University 2001

Shawn is from Bristol, Rhode Island and was born on April 27, 1977 in Providence. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences cum laude from Northeastern University in 2001. He is an active member of Delta Epsilon Iota, Sigma Epsilon Rho collegiate honor societies, and a student associate member in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the International Association of Biological Sciences (AIBS).

Shawn’s research in the TB/HIV Research Laboratory focuses on defining the binding characteristics of novel class I and class II MHC peptides directed towards HPV (human papilloma virus) and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) viral epitopes. Peptides chosen using a proprietary computer algorithm are those contained in the viral genome that are both immunogenic and well conserved throughout subtypes. Peptides that demonstrate strong binding affinity in competition binding (antigen capture) assays (class II), and direct binding assays (class I) are candidates for inclusion into multi-epitope DNA vaccines directed towards HPV and HIV.