MHC binding prediction has a wide range of applications and use cases:
- Vaccine design
MHC binding prediction can be used to identify potential vaccine targets. By identifying peptides that can bind to specific MHC molecules, researchers can developed vaccines to generate immunity to a particular pathogen for a specific population (based on the HLA prevalence). - T-cell epitope identification
MHC binding prediction can help identify potential T-cell epitopes, which are the specific segments of an antigen that can be bound to an MHC molecule and be recognized by a T cell. This information can be used to better understand the immune response to a particular pathogen or develop immunotherapies for autoimmune diseases or cancer. - Allergen prediction
MHC binding prediction can be used to predict potential allergens by identifying peptides that can bind to MHC molecules and trigger an immune response. - Avoid unwanted immune responses in drug development
MHC binding prediction can be used to screen biologicals for the presence of T-cell epitopes. This information can the be used to modify the biological’s sequence and try to circumvent an unwanted immune response.