Jalen Cai

Independent project · USC mentorship 2026–Present

CAI-Vax: Designing Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccines

Computational tools for comparing candidate designs

An independent project exploring how computational tools can help compare candidate designs for personalized mRNA cancer vaccines — evaluating cancer-associated antigen sequences, comparing design options, and organizing candidates for later experimental testing.

Ongoing mRNA designComputational screeningImmuno-oncologyTeam project
Public write-upTODO— link not available yet: Add public documentation once it existsTeam pageTODO— link not available yet: Add team roster/credits if the team is happy to be listed
Jalen in a white lab coat and gloves working at a biosafety cabinet, holding a sample tube up to the light
Wet-lab work at the biosafety cabinet, July 2026

The idea

CAI-Vax is an independent project exploring how computational tools can help compare candidate designs for personalized mRNA cancer vaccines. The current workflow focuses on evaluating cancer-associated antigen sequences, comparing design options, and organizing candidates for later experimental testing.

Working with a team

I started CAI-Vax as an independent project and then brought together three other students from my district to help push it forward. Rather than giving everyone the same task, we divided the work across literature review, sequence analysis, computational design, and experimental planning.

That means deciding what can be parallelized, what needs one person to own it, and where everyone needs to understand the same underlying biology before moving on.

Candidate screening

At a high level: the workflow compares sequence- and design-level properties relevant to selecting promising vaccine candidates, and prioritizes options for later validation.

Much of the current work is less visible than building another model: reconciling claims against evidence, making the analysis reproducible, deciding which external tools provide fair comparisons, and designing what a defensible validation study would actually need.

Experimental validation

Experimental validation is being designed and planned. Results will be added when they are ready to be shared publicly.

Add validation plan and results when they can be shared

Images, posters & documents

A gel electrophoresis tank wired to a power supply on a crowded lab bench
Gel electrophoresis setup, 31 July 2026
A gel tank filled with green running buffer, red and black leads attached
A gel mid-run
A finished agarose gel in a clear tray, a blue dye front visible along one edge
After the run
A gloved hand holding a tube of pink culture medium in front of a biosafety cabinet
A cell-culture sample, 22 July 2026
A microscope field of view, cells scattered as pale dots across a lilac background
Cells under the microscope, 24 July 2026
The CAI-Vax poster laid flat on a wooden table, USC Mann and SC ACE logos in the header
The poster, 12 August 2026

↳Milestones

  1. 2026

    Assembling the team

    Started as an independent project, then brought in three other students from the district — split across literature review, sequence analysis, computational design, and experimental planning rather than everyone doing the same task.

    Chapter
  2. 2026

    Candidate screening

    The workflow compares sequence- and design-level properties relevant to selecting promising vaccine candidates, and prioritizes options for later validation.

    Chapter
  3. Planned

    Experimental validation

    Experimental validation is being designed and planned. Results will be added when they are ready to be shared publicly.

    Upcoming
    • Add validation plan and results when they can be shared
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