Dr Antonino Cassotta
Between August 2021 and July 2022, we supported Dr. Antonino Cassotta from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) affiliated with Università della Svizzera italiana in Bellinzona, Switzerland.
His fellowship was awarded by Professor Dr. Antonio Lanzavecchia, who received the Jung Gold Medal for Medicine in 2021. This award includes a fellowship currently valued at €30,000, which may be granted to an early-career scientist of the awardee’s choice.
Antonino Cassotta first met Professor Lanzavecchia during his PhD training at IRB Bellinzona and was so deeply inspired by his groundbreaking research and visionary approach that he joined Lanzavecchia’s laboratory at the National Institute of Molecular Genetics (INGM) in Milan, Italy as a visiting scientist in 2021. Here he contributed to establishing innovative methods for stimulating and cloning antigen-specific human CD8+ T cells – supported by the Jung Foundation. In early 2024, he returned to IRB Bellinzona as a Research Associate, where he continues his research on T cell immunity.
Research focus: Optimizing immune responses through targeted T cell cloning
CD8+ T cells play a critical role in the immune system by recognizing and eliminating infected or malignant cells. While research has historically focused on CD4+ helper T cells, the characterization of CD8+ T cell responses has remained comparatively limited. Dr. Cassotta aims to develop a more efficient method to enrich and analyze these crucial immune cells.
His approach combines genetically engineered antigen-presenting cells with optimized culture and cloning techniques. A key aspect of his work is the detailed analysis of CD8+ T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2, providing fundamental insights that could inform novel vaccine strategies and immunotherapies. In particular, he investigates T cell populations that recognize antigens presented by non-polymorphic MHC molecules, such as HLA-E and MR-1—a promising avenue for the development of broadly applicable immunotherapies.
Key findings and future perspectives
Dr. Cassotta has successfully isolated SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cells from vaccinated individuals and characterized their antigen specificity. His research demonstrates that specific epitopes within the viral spike protein elicit strong immune responses and could serve as targets for next-generation vaccine development. Furthermore, he is optimizing in vitro expansion conditions to enhance the therapeutic potential of these T cells.
Through his work, Antonino Cassotta is making significant contributions to fundamental immunological research and the advancement of novel vaccine and immunotherapy strategies. We are proud to have supported his scientific journey and look forward to his future discoveries.