Dr. Mark Killick

Mark Killick is an HIV immunology researcher whose work centers on the structural and functional engineering of CD4–Env interactions to advance vaccine and antibody-based strategies against HIV‑1. His research explores how redox mechanisms, disulfide exchange, and receptor conformational dynamics regulate viral entry and immune recognition, providing mechanistic insight into CD4 biology and gp120 engagement.

A major theme of his scholarship is the design of covalently linked Env–2dCD4 complexes and SOSIP trimers as next-generation immunogens. These studies demonstrate how stabilizing CD4-bound conformations can expose conserved epitopes and elicit broadly neutralizing antibody responses, positioning modified Env constructs as promising vaccine candidates.

Killick has also contributed to the engineering of bispecific antibodies targeting both HIV-1 Env and host CD4, evaluating breadth, potency, and synergistic mechanisms. His combined expertise in protein engineering, structural characterization, and neutralization assays underscores a translational focus aimed at improving preventive and therapeutic interventions for HIV infection.