Abstract: The subject matter disclosed herein is generally directed to epitopes that specifically bind to subject specific HLA class I molecules in MCC. The epitope identified is specific for MCC and is encoded for in the Merkel Cell Polyomavirus (MCPyV) large T antigen (MCPyV LT).

Abstract: Disclosed herein are polypeptides and compositions comprising one or more neoantigens, methods of identifying neoantigens, and methods for preparing a neoantigen for an immunogenic pharmaceutical composition. The neoantigen can be specific to a subject that has a cancer, disease, or other disorder.

Abstract: Adaptive immune responses rely on the ability of cytotoxic T cells to identify and eliminate cells displaying disease-specific antigens on human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules. Investigations into antigen processing and display have immense implications in human health, disease and therapy. To extend understanding of the rules governing antigen processing and presentation, immunopurified peptides from B cells, each expressing a single HLA class I allele, were profiled. A resource dataset containing thousands of peptides bound to distinct class I HLA-A, -B, and -C alleles was generated by implementing a novel allele-specific database search strategy. Applicants discovered new binding motifs, established the role of gene expression in peptide presentation and improved prediction of HLA-peptide binding by using these data to train machine-learning models. These streamlined experimental and analytic workflows enable direct identification and analysis of endogenously processed and presented antigens.