A key focus of the work of Dr. Pinter's lab is understanding the basis for the inability of the immune system to control HIV, and identification of new targets and vaccine approaches that can overcome these limitations. The lab analyzes the role of conformational masking towards neutralization resistance, with a focus on specific determinants that contribute to masking and identification of mutations that can reverse this effect. Additionally, the lab focuses on the identification of antibodies in sera of HIV-infected subjects that possess broad and potent neutralizing activities. The information derived from the lab's studies is being used to design immunogens and vaccination strategies for inducing such broadly protective antibody responses.