Justin Taylor, Ph.D.

Dr. Justin Taylor is an immunologist who focuses his research on B cells, a type of white blood cell responsible for producing immune proteins called antibodies. He works with so-called naïve B cells, ones that have not yet been exposed to foreign or abnormal molecules — contact with which can trigger B cells to produce protective antibodies. His lab studies a complicated process that is required to produce both long-lived antibodies and a fleet of “memory” B cells that can respond to future contact with the same foreign molecules and thus protect against them. Dr. Taylor has developed tools to screen vaccine components rapidly to find whether they can bind to B cells in the first place, a relatively rare connection that is essential for a successful vaccine. This technique may be helpful in isolating components that might work in vaccines that have been particularly difficult to develop, such as one to block HIV.