Prof. Rino Rappuoli's MAD Lab

The Monoclonal Antibody Discovery (MAD) Lab, led by the pioneering vaccine scientist Prof. Rino Rappuoli, is a specialized research and development unit based at the Fondazione Toscana Life Sciences in Siena, Italy. The lab utilizes a "Reverse Immunology" platform to identify and develop potent human monoclonal antibodies by screening B-cells from convalescent patients. Its primary mission is to address emerging infectious diseases and the global crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The lab gained significant prominence for developing MAD0004J08, a highly potent neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2 that entered clinical trials. Beyond viral targets, the MAD Lab is actively engineering antibody-based therapies to combat multi-drug resistant bacteria such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Klebsiella pneumoniae.