We have been using structural information of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) E2 proteins to understand immune evasion (Tzarum et al., 2019 and 2020, Science Advances) and recently solved the structure of the native HCV glycoprotein complex (Augestad and Olesen et al., 2023, BioRxiv), which turns out to be an antiparallel homodimer of the proteins E1 and E2. This breakthrough has many implications for understanding how E1 and E2 are able to orchestrate open (neutralization sensitive) and closed (neutralization resistant) states of the E1/E2 homodimeric complex (Augestad et al., 2020, Science Advances) and how this is linked to the a part of E2, called hypervariable region 1 (HVR1), and the N-linked glycan shield of the virus (Prentø et al., 2019, PNAS). HVR1, in particular, serves critical and poorly understood roles in viral entry (Prentø et al., 2014, JVI) and in protecting the virus from antibodies, both in vitro (Prentø et al., 2011, JVI; Prentø et al., Hepatology, 2016) and in vivo (Prentø et al., 2016, Gut).

This research is also highly relevant in devising an effective HCV vaccine for which we are part of validating models for use in testing HCV vaccines (Collignon et al., 2024, Hepatology and Chen et al., 2021, Immunity) as well as testing novel vaccine candidates based on the homodimeric E1/E2 structure as well as the effects of using virus-like particles to boost the induction of antibodies (Prentø and Janitzek et al., 2022, NPJ Vaccines).

My group uses wet lab and in silico approaches to understand human disease with a special focus on immune evasion of positive-stranded RNA viruses.

We specialize in integrating structural methodologies like cryo-EM and molecular dynamic simulations with culture and in vivo studies of viral entry and neutralization. We also discover and characterize novel monoclonal antibodies using techniques like phage display.

Lab course (virology) on Clinical Disease Units / Microbiology experimental course for the Medicine BSc.

Organizer and administrator of the Ph.D. course on preclinical and clinical aspects of vaccine development.

Mentor in the SUND postdoc mentor program (2022 and 2023).