Stony Brook University · Microbiology & ImmunologyThe Tick Immunity Initiative
Hwan Keun Kim · Stony Brook, New York
Research Focus
Dr. Hwan Keun Kim's lab focuses on understanding how our immune system responds to infections from tick-borne pathogens like Rickettsia. They are exploring the development of vaccines that could protect against these diseases, which are becoming more common in the United States. By studying how these bacteria invade and survive in human cells, the lab aims to create effective immunity and identify potential vaccine candidates.
tick-borne diseasesimmunityRickettsiavaccine developmentO-antigenhumoral immunitybactericidal antibodiespathogenesisvaccine efficacy
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the immune responses to tick-borne rickettsial infections.
AIM 02Determine the role of rickettsial O-antigen in protective immunity.
AIM 03Develop carbohydrate conjugate vaccines against Rickettsia.
AIM 04Identify the genetic factors critical for Rickettsia's survival within host cells.
AIM 05Assess the efficacy of Weil-Felix antibodies in preventing rickettsial infections.
Skills the Lab Values
molecular cloningcell culturemutagenesis techniquesantibody characterizationbacterial infection modelsimmunization protocolsELISAmicroscopyin vitro assays
Output against the department
Publications117bottom 44% of dept.271st of 486
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations4.3kbottom 33% of dept.325th of 486
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.