Peter Beernink, PhD
Professor
Pediatrics
School of Medicine

A major focus of our work is the engineering of meningococcal Factor H binding protein (FHbp) vaccine antigens through the structural decoupling of antigen immunogenicity from human complement Factor H binding. Using this approach, we have developed engineered antigens that elicit enhanced protective antibody responses in human-relevant models and have advanced to evaluation in two Phase 2 clinical trials.

Our laboratory integrates structural biology, immunology, and biochemistry to define the molecular basis of protective immunity. We use approaches such as X-ray crystallography to characterize protective epitopes in complex with antibody Fab fragments, providing mechanistic insight into cooperative antibody-mediated immune responses.

We have extended this structural framework to Neisseria gonorrhoeae, where we characterized gonococcal lipooligosaccharide (LOS) bound to a monoclonal antibody and identified a minimal saccharide vaccine candidate. In parallel, we engineer native outer membrane vesicle (NOMV) vaccines that display optimized antigens in their native membrane context. This platform has demonstrated cross-protective potential against both meningococci and gonococci and supports the development of multi-antigen vaccines targeting antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.

• An adenoviral-vectored vaccine protects mice against aerosol challenge with Yersinia pestis.
  Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy 2026 Dold C, Silva-Reyes L, Kim YC, Blackwell L, Campos P, Linder A, Bridges-Webb A, Kasanyinga M, Lopez-Camacho C, Challis A, Hatch G, Fotheringham S, Beernink PT, Hill AV, Funnell SGP, Pollard AJ, …
• Methods to evaluate the performance of a multicomponent meningococcal serogroup B vaccine.
  mSphere 2025 Borrow R, Tomasi Cont L, Toneatto D, Bambini S, Bobde S, Sohn W-Y, Biolchi A, Masignani V, Beernink PT, Lattanzi M
• Human Factor H and anti-Neisserial surface protein A (NspA) antibodies compete for overlapping binding sites on meningococcal NspA.
  Infection and immunity 2025 Raghunathan D, Lim SS, Moe GR, Beernink PT
• Broad vaccine protection against Neisseria meningitidis using factor H binding protein.
  Vaccine 2020 Findlow J, Bayliss CD, Beernink PT, Borrow R, Liberator P, Balmer P
• Effect of complement Factor H on antibody repertoire and protection elicited by meningococcal capsular group B vaccines containing Factor H binding protein.
  Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics 2019 Beernink PT
• Anti-Factor H Antibody Reactivity in Young Adults Vaccinated with a Meningococcal Serogroup B Vaccine Containing Factor H Binding Protein.
  mSphere 2019 Sharkey K, Beernink PT, Langley JM, Gantt S, Quach C, Dold C, Liu Q, Galvan M, Granoff DM
• A Meningococcal Outer Membrane Vesicle Vaccine with Overexpressed Mutant FHbp Elicits Higher Protective Antibody Responses in Infant Rhesus Macaques than a Licensed Serogroup B Vaccine.
  mBio 2019 Beernink PT, Vianzon V, Lewis LA, Moe GR, Granoff DM
• A Meningococcal Native Outer Membrane Vesicle Vaccine With Attenuated Endotoxin and Overexpressed Factor H Binding Protein Elicits Gonococcal Bactericidal Antibodies.
  The Journal of infectious diseases 2019 Beernink PT, Ispasanie E, Lewis LA, Ram S, Moe GR, Granoff DM
• Molecular characterization of two sub-family specific monoclonal antibodies to meningococcal Factor H binding protein.
  Heliyon 2018 Lo Passo C, Zippilli L, Angiolillo A, Costa I, Pernice I, Galbo R, Felici F, Beernink PT
• Crystal structure reveals vaccine elicited bactericidal human antibody targeting a conserved epitope on meningococcal fHbp.
  Nature communications 2018 López-Sagaseta J, Beernink PT, Bianchi F, Santini L, Frigimelica E, Lucas AH, Pizza M, Bottomley MJ
• Charge neutralization in the active site of the catalytic trimer of aspartate transcarbamoylase promotes diverse structural changes.
  Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society 2017 Endrizzi JA, Beernink PT
• Neisseria meningitidis factor H-binding protein bound to monoclonal antibody JAR5: implications for antibody synergy.
  The Biochemical journal 2016 Malito E, Lo Surdo P, Veggi D, Santini L, Stefek H, Brunelli B, Luzzi E, Bottomley MJ, Beernink PT, Scarselli M
• Enhanced protective antibody to a mutant meningococcal factor H-binding protein with low-factor H binding.
  JCI insight 2016 Granoff DM, Giuntini S, Gowans FA, Lujan E, Sharkey K, Beernink PT
• Human IgG1, IgG3, and IgG3 Hinge-Truncated Mutants Show Different Protection Capabilities against Meningococci Depending on the Target Antigen and Epitope Specificity.
  Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI 2016 Giuntini S, Granoff DM, Beernink PT, Ihle O, Bratlie D, Michaelsen TE
• Meningococcal Factor H Binding Protein Vaccine Antigens with Increased Thermal Stability and Decreased Binding of Human Factor H.
  Infection and immunity 2016 Rossi R, Konar M, Beernink PT
• Effect of complement Factor H on anti-FHbp serum bactericidal antibody responses of infant rhesus macaques boosted with a licensed meningococcal serogroup B vaccine.
  Vaccine 2015 Giuntini S, Beernink PT, Granoff DM
• Susceptibility of Meningococcal Strains Responsible for Two Serogroup B Outbreaks on U.S. University Campuses to Serum Bactericidal Activity Elicited by the MenB-4C Vaccine.
  Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI 2015 Rossi R, Beernink PT, Giuntini S, Granoff DM
• A Newly-Identified Polymorphism in Rhesus Macaque Complement Factor H Modulates Binding Affinity for Meningococcal FHbp.
  PloS one 2015 Konar M, Beernink PT, Granoff DM
• A Mutant Library Approach to Identify Improved Meningococcal Factor H Binding Protein Vaccine Antigens.
  PloS one 2015 Konar M, Rossi R, Walter H, Pajon R, Beernink PT
• Binding of Complement Factor H (FH) Decreases Protective Anti-FH Binding Protein Antibody Responses of Infant Rhesus Macaques Immunized With a Meningococcal Serogroup B Vaccine.
  The Journal of infectious diseases 2015 Granoff DM, Costa I, Konar M, Giuntini S, Van Rompay KK, Beernink PT
• Heterogeneity in rhesus macaque complement factor H binding to meningococcal factor H binding protein (FHbp) informs selection of primates to assess immunogenicity of FHbp-based vaccines.
  Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI 2014 Beernink PT, Shaughnessy J, Stefek H, Ram S, Granoff DM
• Meningococcal factor H-binding protein vaccines with decreased binding to human complement factor H have enhanced immunogenicity in human factor H transgenic mice.
  Vaccine 2013 Rossi R, Granoff DM, Beernink PT
• Does binding of complement factor H to the meningococcal vaccine antigen, factor H binding protein, decrease protective serum antibody responses?
  Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI 2013 Granoff DM, Ram S, Beernink PT
• Importance of inhibition of binding of complement factor H for serum bactericidal antibody responses to meningococcal factor H-binding protein vaccines.
  The Journal of infectious diseases 2013 Konar M, Granoff DM, Beernink PT
• Design of meningococcal factor H binding protein mutant vaccines that do not bind human complement factor H.
  Infection and immunity 2012 Pajon R, Beernink PT, Granoff DM
• The effect of human factor H on immunogenicity of meningococcal native outer membrane vesicle vaccines with over-expressed factor H binding protein.
  PLoS pathogens 2012 Beernink PT, Shaughnessy J, Pajon R, Braga EM, Ram S, Granoff DM
• Monoclonal antibodies to meningococcal factor H binding protein with overlapping epitopes and discordant functional activity.
  PloS one 2012 Giuntini S, Beernink PT, Reason DC, Granoff DM
• Effect of factor H-binding protein sequence variation on factor H binding and survival of Neisseria meningitidis in human blood.
  Infection and immunity 2010 Dunphy KY, Beernink PT, Brogioni B, Granoff DM
• Impaired immunogenicity of a meningococcal factor H-binding protein vaccine engineered to eliminate factor h binding.
  Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI 2010 Beernink PT, Shaughnessy J, Ram S, Granoff DM
• Frequency of factor H-binding protein modular groups and susceptibility to cross-reactive bactericidal activity in invasive meningococcal isolates.
  Vaccine 2009 Pajon R, Beernink PT, Harrison LH, Granoff DM
• The modular architecture of meningococcal factor H-binding protein.
  Microbiology (Reading, England) 2009 Beernink PT, Granoff DM
• Meningococcal factor H-binding protein variants expressed by epidemic capsular group A, W-135, and X strains from Africa.
  The Journal of infectious diseases 2009 Beernink PT, Caugant DA, Welsch JA, Koeberling O, Granoff DM
• A region of the N-terminal domain of meningococcal factor H-binding protein that elicits bactericidal antibody across antigenic variant groups.
  Molecular immunology 2009 Beernink PT, LoPasso C, Angiolillo A, Felici F, Granoff D
• Fine antigenic specificity and cooperative bactericidal activity of monoclonal antibodies directed at the meningococcal vaccine candidate factor h-binding protein.
  Infection and immunity 2008 Beernink PT, Welsch JA, Bar-Lev M, Koeberling O, Comanducci M, Granoff DM
• Bactericidal antibody responses induced by meningococcal recombinant chimeric factor H-binding protein vaccines.
  Infection and immunity 2008 Beernink PT, Granoff DM
• Identification of a thermo-regulated glutamine-binding protein from Yersinia pestis.
  Protein and peptide letters 2008 Cosman M, Pesavento JB, Zemla A, Beernink PT, Balhorn R, Barsky D
• Prevalence of factor H-binding protein variants and NadA among meningococcal group B isolates from the United States: implications for the development of a multicomponent group B vaccine.
  The Journal of infectious diseases 2007 Beernink PT, Welsch JA, Harrison LH, Leipus A, Kaplan SL, Granoff DM
• Applications of functional protein microarrays: identifying protein-protein interactions in an array format.
  Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) 2007 Coleman MA, Beernink PT, Camarero JA, Albala JS
• Rapid genetic grouping of factor h-binding protein (genome-derived neisserial antigen 1870), a promising group B meningococcal vaccine candidate.
  Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI 2006 Beernink PT, Leipus A, Granoff DM
• Specificity of protein interactions mediated by BRCT domains of the XRCC1 DNA repair protein.
  The Journal of biological chemistry 2005 Beernink PT, Hwang M, Ramirez M, Murphy MB, Doyle SA, Thelen MP
• High-throughput, fluorescence-based screening for soluble protein expression.
  Journal of proteome research 2004 Coleman MA, Lao VH, Segelke BW, Beernink PT
• Identification of chromatin-related protein interactions using protein microarrays.
  Proteomics 2003 Coleman MA, Miller KA, Beernink PT, Yoshikawa DM, Albala JS
• Thermodynamic analysis of the dissociation of the aldolase tetramer substituted at one or both of the subunit interfaces.
  Biological chemistry 2003 Tolan DR, Schuler B, Beernink PT, Jaenicke R
• Spatial clustering of isozyme-specific residues reveals unlikely determinants of isozyme specificity in fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase.
  The Journal of biological chemistry 2003 Pezza JA, Choi KH, Berardini TZ, Beernink PT, Allen KN, Tolan DR
• Application of In Vitro Protein Expression to Human Prote.
  TheScientificWorldJournal 2002 Beernink PT, Krupka SS, Lao V, Martin G, Coleman MA
• Structural basis for a change in substrate specificity: crystal structure of S113E isocitrate dehydrogenase in a complex with isopropylmalate, Mg2+, and NADP.
  Biochemistry 2001 Doyle SA, Beernink PT, Koshland DE
• Two divalent metal ions in the active site of a new crystal form of human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease, Ape1: implications for the catalytic mechanism.
  Journal of molecular biology 2001 Beernink PT, Segelke BW, Hadi MZ, Erzberger JP, Wilson DM, Rupp B
• Random circular permutation leading to chain disruption within and near alpha helices in the catalytic chains of aspartate transcarbamoylase: effects on assembly, stability, and function.
  Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society 2001 Beernink PT, Yang YR, Graf R, King DS, Shah SS, Schachman HK
• Binding of bisubstrate analog promotes large structural changes in the unregulated catalytic trimer of aspartate transcarbamoylase: implications for allosteric regulation.
  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2000 Endrizzi JA, Beernink PT, Alber T, Schachman HK
• Assessment of the allosteric mechanism of aspartate transcarbamoylase based on the crystalline structure of the unregulated catalytic subunit.
  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 1999 Beernink PT, Endrizzi JA, Alber T, Schachman HK
• Disruption of the aldolase A tetramer into catalytically active monomers.
  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 1996 Beernink PT, Tolan DR
• Subunit interface mutants of rabbit muscle aldolase form active dimers.
  Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society 1994 Beernink PT, Tolan DR
• Construction of a high-copy "ATG vector" for expression in Escherichia coli.
  Protein expression and purification 1992 Beernink PT, Tolan DR