Mississippi State University · BiologyThe PneumoVax Initiative
Justin A Thornton · Mississippi State, Mississippi
Research Focus
Dr. Justin Thornton's lab at Mississippi State University focuses on developing a new type of vaccine to prevent colonization by pneumococcus, a bacteria responsible for infections like pneumonia. The lab is looking to find novel targets among bacterial proteins that can stimulate a strong immune response and lead to better protection against these infections, even against different strains of the bacteria. This research not only aims to improve vaccine efficacy but also engages students in real-world biomedical research.
pneumococcal vaccinebacterial colonizationimmune responseprotein-based vaccinevaccine design
Research Aims
3AIM 01Identify pneumococcal surface proteins that elicit IgA responses capable of inhibiting bacterial adherence.
AIM 02Determine the key pneumococcal surface proteins involved in adherence to host cells and their attachment mechanisms.
AIM 03Assess the protective effects of identified vaccine targets in mouse models of pneumococcal infection.
Skills the Lab Values
PCRcell culturemouse modelsimmunology techniquesWestern blotmass spectrometrytransfection methodsprotein purificationFar-Western blotting
Output against the department
Publications28bottom 3% of dept.1,000th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations1.2kbottom 6% of dept.970th of 1,033
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.