To identify optimal antigens and adjuvants for use in vaccines, information-dense native methods are required to enable a deep understanding of the functional activity of immune cells at the individual level. Our project goal is to distinguish viral immune escape and non-escape virus variants ex vivo, using the TruCulture whole blood system. SARS-CoV-2 will be used as the model organism, with simultaneous detection of secreted immune mediators and cell-based determination of activated cells to obtain a detailed overview of virus subtype-specific activation of the immune response. In parallel, vaccine candidates for CMV will be identified and different adjuvants tested to compare the activation effect. This will be supported by the development of an app and an algorithm to support preclinical target design and to simplify the collection of clinical and analytical data.