Peter Kwong stands as a distinguished figure in the realm of structural biology and vaccine research, particularly renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to understanding and combating HIV and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). His career is marked by pivotal discoveries that have significantly advanced the field of vaccine development.
Kwong’s early career was highlighted by a landmark achievement during his postdoctoral tenure in Wayne Hendrickson’s lab at Columbia University. He successfully solved the intricate structure of the HIV-1 gp120 envelope glycoprotein in complex with the CD4 receptor and a neutralizing antibody. This breakthrough, featured on the covers of both Nature and Science in June 1998, provided crucial insights into the virus’s mechanism of infection and potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
In 2000, Kwong transitioned to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he founded and led the Structural Biology Section of the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) until 2023. During his tenure at NIH, Peter Kwong continued to unravel the complexities of HIV-1. His research illuminated the strategy of conformational masking employed by HIV-1 to evade immune recognition, a finding published in Nature in 2002. Further studies demonstrated that conformational stabilization of the HIV-1 envelope could be leveraged to elicit broadly neutralizing CD4-induced antibodies, opening new avenues for vaccine design.
Kwong’s expertise in conformational stabilization proved transformative in the context of RSV vaccine development. The DS-Cav1 immunogen, designed by Kwong and his team, demonstrated remarkable efficacy in eliciting high-titer responses against RSV. This innovation, detailed in a 2013 Science publication, formed the scientific foundation for the approved GSK vaccine AREXVY, a testament to the translational impact of his structural biology insights.
Beyond these specific breakthroughs, Peter Kwong has systematically defined the domain structures for nearly the entirety of the HIV-1 gp120 envelope, as documented in publications across Nature, Science, and PNAS between 1998 and 2011. He also elucidated the prefusion-closed structure of the HIV-1 envelope trimer in 2014 (Nature) and the fully glycosylated envelope trimer from three clades in 2016 (Cell), providing an unprecedented level of structural detail essential for rational vaccine design.
More recently, Kwong has pioneered an antibody-guided vaccine approach to stimulate the production of broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV, particularly targeting the fusion peptide site of vulnerability. This innovative strategy, published in Nature Medicine (2018) and Cell (2019), represents a cutting-edge direction in HIV vaccine research. His latest research, published in Cell (2024), showcases experiments boosting antibody titers to achieve significant serum neutralization breadth against a diverse panel of SHIV strains.
With over 400 peer-reviewed publications, including more than 50 in high-impact journals like Nature, Science, and Cell, Peter Kwong’s scholarly output is substantial and highly influential. Adding to his legacy, Kwong has mentored over 25 postdoctoral fellows, with more than a dozen going on to establish their own independent research groups, further extending his impact on the scientific community. After his distinguished service at NIH, Peter Kwong returned to Columbia University in December 2023, continuing his pursuit of scientific discovery and mentorship. His contributions have indelibly shaped the landscape of HIV and RSV vaccine research, paving the way for future advancements in combating these critical global health challenges.
