Giuseppe Sautto Laboratory

Research

Sautto Lab Culture

Lab culture statement: Our laboratory focuses on creating and maintaining an equitable and collaborative lab environment. The foundation of this culture is to establish internal and external partnerships: that means a collaborative culture inside and outside the lab and the institute. 

Research Overview

The Sautto Lab focuses on generating molecules, particularly monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), that target infectious pathogens and some cancer types. We strive to generate molecules with multiple therapeutic applications:  

1. As Next-Generation Vaccines that prophylactically prevent individuals from contracting an infection or disease 
2. As Immunotherapies that directly neutralize threats and treat individuals who have already contracted a disease

We also work to engineer improvements in existing mAbs, by increasing binding capacity or by conferring gain-of-function effects. 

Monoclonal Antibodies

One of our main areas of focus has been generating mAbs to target highly variable pathogens. We are developing treatments for influenza virus, hepatitis C virus (HCV), SARS-CoV-2, RSV and many opportunistic fungal infections using our mAb development pipeline, depicted below. 

Recombinant Proteins and the Next-generation Influenza Vaccine

We have been working to develop recombinant proteins that can act as a next-generation influenza vaccine and target multiple virus strains. In 2021 we developed a pipeline to produce and purify recombinant proteins produced in mammalian cell lines through either transient transfection or generation of stable cell lines from plasmid creation through the isolation step via Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography (IMAC). Collectively, the establishment of this pipeline has facilitated large-scale production of recombinant influenza virus proteins of high purity and with consistent yields, including glycosylation patterns that are very similar to proteins produced in a human host. You can read the paper here! 

Pictured: Schematic of our recombinant influenza glycoproteins. Ecker et al., 2021. Vaccines   

Pictured: The Sautto Lab “Recombinant Protein Factory”, housed in the Cleveland Clinic Florida Research and Innovation Center 

Testimonials from my former mentees, coworkers and Sautto Lab members

Former mentees and lab members

"As an undergraduate research technician under the mentorship of Dr. Giuseppe Sautto, I had the privilege of contributing to translational virology research that enriched my academic and professional development. I was trained in performing laboratory assays including Hemagglutination Inhibition (HAI), Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA), Reverse-Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), and in preparing essential reagents such as buffers. My work supported the development and evaluation of Computationally Optimized Broadly Reactive Antigen (COBRA) vaccines targeting both influenza and SARS-CoV-2 virus. I also assisted in processing human and turkey red blood cells and analyzing antibody responses to vaccination. This experience, conducted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, solidified my laboratory skillset, improved my scientific communication, and deepened my understanding of vaccine research and development. Dr. Sautto’s mentorship was instrumental in laying the scientific foundation that contributed to my successful acceptance into medical school, where I continue to build on the skills and passion for research cultivated in his lab". - Matin Bahmanabadi, Undergraduate student at the University of Georgia, January 2021-June 2022.

"My time in Dr. Sautto’s lab was nothing less than exemplary. I was able to converse and collaborate with the brightest and kindest individuals all in the name of innovation for vaccine research and development. 

Everyday I was challenged with learning concepts, ideas and procedures that I would not have been able to get my hands on for years had this opportunity not presented itself. I am truly grateful for every opportunity that my time at FRIC provided me with and for the amazing support I received by Dr Sautto’s Lab. 

After my time in Dr Sautto’s lab, the skills and knowledge I gained gave me everything I needed to progress in my States Science Fair, earning a first place medal in the field of Microbiology. I was also accepted into the MITES program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) a program that provides students with an introduction into STEM fields they display an interest and spike in (in my case biomedical engineering) by allowing them to take classes as if they were an MIT student. 

Furthermore, I was also accepted into the Questbridge Scholars program, which along with aiding students in applying to the top 20 universities in the country also provides opportunities for students to study at various programs in their designated field of interest (in my case, biomedical engineering) at prestigious universities around the country, this years selection being Yale, Stanford, University of Washington in St. Louis, and more". - Alondra Aguirre, May 8th, 2024. Summer high school student intern in the Sautto Lab, June-July 2023.

"Through my experience in the Sautto Lab, I learned foundational microbiology through various hands-on assays. This interactive approach gave me the chance to deeply understand broader concepts while enjoying running an experiment. I am beyond grateful to have been granted the opportunity to learn new laboratory skills and concepts each day in such a welcoming environment. Every staff member that I encountered at the Florida Research and Innovation Center made me feel appreciated, from the front desk security to the postdocs and lab technicians. This kindness formed an environment which facilitated growth not only academically, but also personally.

My time spent in the Sautto Lab these past 6 weeks has prompted me to conduct personal microbiology- related study as part of my IB Biology Internal Assessment. The skills members of the Sautto Lab taught apply not only in my high school biology course, but also in my extracurricular activities. Conducting studies along such understanding researchers led me to cultivate a passion for science demonstrated through my newfound love for scientific articles.

Overall, this mentorship led me grow and discover new passions and interests. I am proud to say that all of the helpful discussions and insights in the lab will continue to inspire me in the near future. I appreciate all of the time and effort the team at the Sautto Lab took to further my scientific understanding and cannot wait to hear about their future endeavors". -  Carly Gans, August 6th, 2024. Summer high school student intern in the Sautto Lab, July 2024.

"Being a part of Dr. Sautto's lab was by far one of the most valuable and enriching experiences I've had as an undergraduate student. From applying fundamental laboratory skills to learning essential immunology concepts, Dr. Sautto and his colleagues created the perfect learning environment where I felt equally welcomed, challenged, and supported. I felt I grew as a student because I was encouraged to think critically, ask a multitude of questions, and was always impressed by how well lab members were able to educate me on even the most complex concepts in the lab. They simplified concepts in a way that I could understand which allowed me to ask further questions and contribute to an enriching scientific conversation. I felt as an equal to these individuals and was not made to feel that my lack of understanding was a flaw. Rather, it was a strength that led to educational opportunities that I traditionally would not be able to partake in at university. This mentorship also piqued my curiosity and inspired me to seek out more advanced coursework at my university beyond my biomedical and public health degree programs. Learning alongside these intelligent and generous individuals was beyond insightful and I appreciate their eagerness to impart their knowledge on the next generation!" -  Katlin Eaton, August 5th, 2024. Summer undergraduate student intern in the Sautto Lab, July 2024.

Excerpts taken from Dr. Sautto LinkedIn page

“Today’s scientist must be perseverant, insightful and socially skilled, to build strong and long-lasting collaborations. Giuseppe is all three, being able to generate data at the bench, manage and supervise junior staff, while establishing external collaborations and securing start-up funding for his research.” - Rodrigo Abreu, October 15th, 2020. Worked together in the University of Georgia Center for Vaccines & Immunology from 2018 - 2020

“In the year I was tutored by Dr. Sautto I was taught both basic and advanced laboratory techniques; in addition, he helped my improving in terms of critical thinking and science writing. Dr. Sautto tends to create a friendly working environment around him, and perfectly handles stress and multi-tasking... It is both for his personality and scientific proficiency that Dr. Sautto and I have remained in touch after the completion of my internship.”  - Giacomo Gorini, June 15th, 2016. Mentored directly by Dr. Sautto in Dr. Clementi’s and Burioni’s laboratory at San Raffaele Research institute in 2012-2013.

“Giuseppe has constantly and patiently followed my work-project... He taught me several molecular techniques and he followed me during the writing of the experimental thesis. In my opinion he is an excellent scientist with strong organizational skills and communication skills. He is also a very nice and generous person. Even now, he is always ready to give me advice and tips.” - Giovanni Pipitone, Co-mentored by Dr. Sautto in the Microbiology and Virology laboratory of "Università Vita-Salute S.Raffaele" from 2012 to 2014. 

Sautto Lab Events

Conferences, Event Participations and Presentations

• July 24-27, 2022: Annual Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers (CIVICs) Meeting, Hyatt Regency Bethesda, MD
• Sep 26-29, 2022: OPTIONS XI for the Control of Influenza meeting in Belfast, UK.
• March 16-17, 2023: Second annual South Florida Translational Research Symposium. ​​Florida International University, Center for Translational Science, Port St. Lucie, FL
• Feb 28 - March 3, 2023: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Conference Center, Seattle, WA
  • Drivers of individual variation in influenza vaccine response and protection from infection (DIVERsity) Meeting
  • ​​Correlates of Protection for Next Generation Influenza Vaccines: ‘Lessons Learned from the COVID Pandemic​'
• Aug 6-9, 2023: Annual Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers (CIVICs) Meeting, Hilton West Palm Beach, FL
• Oct 11-13, 2023: BioFlorida Conference, Ponte Vedra, FL
• Nov 7, 2023: Consortium for the Standardization of Influenza Seroepidemiology (CONCISE) meeting at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong
• Nov 8-10, 2023: “Individual and population immunity to respiratory viruses” conference in Hong Kong, Grand Hong Kong Hotel
• Jan 19-20, 2024: Symposium "Virus-Host Interactions – From Molecular Discoveries to Novel Therapeutic Concepts", FRIC, Port St. Lucie, FL
• April 21-23, 2024: Center for Influenza Vaccine Research for High-Risk Populations (CIVR-HRP) annual meeting at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
• July 7-9, 2024: 8th National Congress of the Italian Society for Virology. One Virology One Health. Bologna, Italy
• July 11, 2024: Dr. Sautto as invited speaker at Toscana Life Sciences. Siena, Italy
• Aug 4-7, 2024: Annual Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers (CIVICs) Meeting, Bethesda Marriott Grand Ballroom, MD
• Jan 30-31: "Recent Advances in Virology & Technologies Symposium", FRIC, Port St. Lucie, FL

We did a photoshoot in June of 2023! Take a look inside our lab:

 Dr. Giuseppe Sautto speaking with Yailin Campos (lab technologist) and Dr. Gabriel Costa (postdoctoral fellow). 

Yailin Campos (Lab technologist in the Sautto lab): “…I was looking at the Florida Research and Innovation Center from a window of the Tradition Hospital and dreaming about working there one day”    

Monthly Highlights

Monthly highlights from the Sautto Lab:

• July 2022: The Sautto lab establishes at the Cleveland Clinic Florida Research & Innovation Center
• Sep 2022: New publication in Vaccines in collaboration with the Ross lab! "Kinetic of the Antibody Response Following Addavax- Adjuvanted Immunization with Recombinant Influenza Antigens"
• Dec 2022: Yailin Campos Mota joins the Sautto Lab. Welcome onboard Yailin!
• Feb 2023: New publication in Cell Reports in collaboration with the Georgiev lab! "Functional HIV-1/HCV cross-reactive antibodies isolated from a chronically co-infected donor"
• April 2023: The Sautto Lab receives funding in collaboration with MetCure Therapeutics LLC, on "Small-molecule therapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer".
• May 2023:
  • Dr. Gabriel Costa joins the Sautto Lab. Welcome onboard Gabriel!
  • New publication in Communications Biology in collaboration with the Mousa lab! "Structural insights into the broad protection against H1 influenza viruses by a computationally optimized hemagglutinin vaccine"
• June 2023:
  
  • Alondra Aguirre joins the Sautto lab as a Summer intern. Welcome onboard Alondra!
  • The Sautto Lab receives the 2023 Research Accelerator Award for the project "Development of a broadly reactive hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccination"
  • Dr. Sautto receives Adjunct Faculty Appointment at Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology
• July 2023: New publication in Frontiers Tropical Diseases by Dr. Costa: "Malaria mitochondrial diagnosis: Challenges and Pitfalls"
• Aug-Dec 2023: Dr. Sautto was admitted to the Compass Leadership and Management Training and Mentoring Program, coordinated by the School of Medicine of the Washington University in St. Louis and supported by the NIGMS of NIH
• Sep 2023: The Sautto Lab was awarded a research agreement in collaboration with Pomona Ricerca S.r.l. which will study the preclinical characterization of the immune response to hepatitis C virus after immunization with two anti-idiotype monoclonal antibodies
• Oct 2023:
  • Dr. Sautto was selected by Cleveland Clinic Innovations for the Innovation Ambassador professional development program.
  • New publication in Immunohorizons in collaboration with the Ross lab! "Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection Enhances Initial mRNA Vaccine Response with a Lower Impact on Long-Term Immunity"
• April 2024: The Sautto lab established a research collaboration agreement with NIAID aimed at functionally and structurally characterize the antibody response to the hepatitis C virus to unveil the mechanisms of antibody neutralization
• June 2024: New publication in Structure! "Structural basis for the broad antigenicity of the computationally optimized influenza hemagglutinin X6"
• July 2024:
  
  • Katlin Eaton Carly Gans and Ella Treadway join the Sautto lab as Summer interns. Welcome onboard!
  • Dr. Sautto is conferred the 2024 Luria Award for his oral presentation at the 8th National Congress of the Italian Society for Virology. One Virology One Health.
  • New publication in the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine by Dr. Sautto: "Respiratory viruses: Preventive and therapeutic approaches to diverse pathogens"
  • The Sautto Lab receives the second year of funding of the 2023 Research Accelerator Award for the project "Development of a broadly reactive hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccination"
• August 2024:
  
  • New publication in Vaccines by Drs. Costa and Sautto: "Exploring T-Cell Immunity to Hepatitis C Virus: Insights from Different Vaccine and Antigen Presentation Strategies"
  • New publication in PLOS Pathogens in collaboration with the Georgiev lab! "Isolation and Characterization of IgG3 Glycan-Targeting Antibodies with Exceptional Cross-Reactivity for Diverse Viral Families"
• September 2024:
  
  • The Sautto lab is awarded a grant agreement with GenScript USA for the project titled "Development of a broadly reactive hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccination strategy"
• October 2024:
  
  • New publication in Structure in collaboration with the Georgiev lab! "Discovery and characterization of a pan-betacoronavirus S2-binding antibody"
• November 2024:
  
  • New publication from the Sautto lab in the Journal of Immunology! "Multiplexed antibody sequencing and profiling of the human hemagglutinin-specific memory B cell response following influenza vaccination"
• December 2024:
  
  • New publication from the Sautto lab in Expert Review of Vaccines! "Towards an HCV vaccine: an overview of the immunization strategies for eliciting an effective B-cell response"

Selected Publications

View publications for Giuseppe Sautto, PhD, MBA
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