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2026BIOMED004.pdf
Doctoral thesis

Human immune responses and antibody discovery to West Nile, Powassan, tick-borne encephalitis, and related orthoflaviviruses

  • 2026

PhD: Università della Svizzera italiana

West Nile virus
Japanese encephalitis serocomplex
Orthoflaviviruses
Neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies
Envelope domain III
Autoantibodies
Type I interferon
Tick-borne orthoflaviviruses
English Orthoflaviviruses are arthropod-borne viruses of major medical relevance that include West Nile virus (WNV), Zika virus (ZIKV), tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), and Powassan virus (POWV). Their expanding geographic distribution and the limited availability of vaccines and antiviral therapies highlight the need for broadly strategies to prevent and control orthoflaviviral infections. This thesis investigates immune responses to orthoflaviviruses, with a particular focus on the identification and characterization of potent neutralizing antibodies and antibodies recognizing conserved or cross-reactive epitopes across different orthoflaviviruses. By defining antibody specificity, neutralization breadth, and the viral epitopes targeted, this work provides insight into conserved antigenic features that may be exploited for the development of broadly protective vaccines and antibody-based therapeutics. The thesis further integrates aspects of innate and adaptive antiviral immunity to better understand the mechanisms that contribute to protection and disease against both mosquito-borne and tick-borne orthoflaviviruses. In addition, this work provides evidence for the circulation or presence of orthoflaviviruses in geographic areas where they had not previously been documented, emphasizing the importance of continued surveillance. Together, these findings contribute to a broader understanding of orthoflavivirus immunity and may help inform the development of next-generation countermeasures against current and emerging orthoflaviviruses.
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  • English
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Medicine
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https://n2t.net/ark:/12658/srd1336508
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