University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · PharmacologyLai Antibody Lab
Samuel Lai · Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Research Focus
Dr. Samuel Lai's lab at the University of North Carolina focuses on developing innovative therapies for respiratory infections caused by viruses like parainfluenza and metapneumovirus. The lab is working on engineering antibodies that can trap these viruses in airway mucus, potentially offering new treatment options for children and immunocompromised adults who are vulnerable to severe respiratory illnesses. The research aims to enhance how antibodies work at mucosal surfaces to combat respiratory infections.
antibody engineeringrespiratory virusesmucociliary clearanceinhalation therapyvirus neutralizationmucosal immunitymonoclonal antibodiespediatric healthimmunotherapyviral infections
Research Aims
3AIM 01Develop antibodies with high affinity for multiple strains of parainfluenza and metapneumovirus.
AIM 02Test the ability of engineered antibodies to trap viruses in human airway mucus.
AIM 03Evaluate the effectiveness of antibody treatment in animal models of nasal infection.
Skills the Lab Values
antibody engineeringmolecular cloningin vitro viral assayscell cultureanimal modelsaffinity maturationhigh-throughput screeningnebulization techniquespathogen trapping in mucusbronchial epithelial cell culture
Output against the department
Publications222top 37% of dept.170th of 462
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations14ktop 29% of dept.135th of 462
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.