Epitopes are parts of an antigen that are recognized by the immune system.
Identification of epitopic regions on an immunogenic protein is important for several
clinical and biotechnological applications. Various bioinformatics tools are currently
available which can be used for the prediction of epitopic regions, and the immune
response generated against selected epitopic regions can be monitored through a variety
of immunological techniques. In this chapter, we provide an overview of widely used
in silico tools for the prediction of epitopic regions, followed by biophysical methods
used for their characterization. Furthermore, a brief description of important
immunological approaches for measuring immune responses elicited by epitopes is also
given. It is anticipated that the information provided in this chapter will help
researchers in selecting appropriate tools for the prediction and validation of epitopes
on a protein target for vaccine development and diagnostics.
Keywords: Diagnostics, Epitope prediction, Protein targets, Vaccine.
