Faculty Sponsor: Peter Shank

Richard joined the Humoral Immunity HIV research team under the guidance of Dr. Eloisa Yuste in Barcelona, Spain. Dr. Yuste’s team is researching the immune response to HIV and its application to vaccine development. Richard worked with the team to explore ways to alter the structure of the HIV-1 envelope protein for optimal binding to antibodies with the hope of triggering a large immune response, a feat which HIV vaccines have thus far been unable to accomplish. This strategy of manipulating and studying the HIV protein that is directly responsible for the infection of host cells is one of science’s best hopes for creating an effectual HIV vaccine.