McNamara Lab
Our lab focuses on System Serology, a comprehensive approach to studying humoral immunity. We analyze antibody responses to infectious diseases using high-throughput functional assays and biophysical profiling techniques. We integrate wet lab immunology with computational modeling and machine learning to uncover the antibody signatures linked to disease outcome, allergy sensitivity, or as a biomarker for health status. We are particularly interested in how the immune system moves over time, and how we can incorporate models of immune temporal fluidity into next generation vaccine approaches, immune therapies, and allergy desensitivity.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
667 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, Room 406
Boston, MA 02115
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About the McNamara Lab
The McNamara Lab is an interdisciplinary research group dedicated to understanding how the immune system responds to antigen encounters, and how that information is stored in the short and long term. Using a System Serology approach, our lab goes beyond traditional antibody titer measurements to define the functional and biophysical signatures of protective immune responses. By integrating high-throughput functional assays, biophysical antibody profiling, and machine learning-based modeling, we aim to uncover foundational principles regarding immune system shaping, developing machine learning and predictive computational models, and translating all of this information to develop the next-generation of immune-based therapies.
Our Research
Our laboratory is a partner with two IMPAc-TB consortiums, Hi-IMPAc-TB and Phoenix IMPAc-TB, two of three IMPAc-TB initiatives founded by NIAID seeking to improve understanding of tuberculosis immunology.
We partner with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School in identifying immune signatures linked with protection against COVID-19. The goal of this consortium is to design next generation therapies that elicit immune responses that are better predictors of protection than current standards of care.
Our laboratory is involved in several initiatives aiming to define the systemic immune response to TB infection in vulnerable populations of young children, aiming to identify novel biomarkers and correlates of risk for future tuberculosis disease progression.
We collaborate with colleagues from Brigham and Women’s Hospital to investigate antibody binding profiling in individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis. In this collaboration, we aim to identify biomarkers of disease through liquid biopsy through minimally invasive methods and characterize how these signatures move over time.
Who We Are
Publication highlights
- Compartment-specific antibody correlates of protection to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron in macaques
- SARS-CoV-2 infection prior to vaccination amplifies Fc-mediated humoral profiles in an age-dependent manner
- Concurrent Administration of COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccines Enhances Spike-Specific Antibody Responses
- Waning immunity and IgG4 responses following bivalent mRNA boosting
- Understanding Fc function for rational vaccine design against pathogens
- Distinct Functional Humoral Immune Responses Are Induced after Live Attenuated and Inactivated Seasonal Influenza Vaccination
Latest News
Q&A with Ryan McNamara
From science fairs to postdoctoral research, what first interested you in science and how did you get started in your career?