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UID:20251107T205157EST-1348CLn1mb@132.216.98.100
DTSTAMP:20251108T015157Z
DESCRIPTION:Zoom link: https://mcgill.zoom.us/j/89833034133\n\nAbstract:\n
 \nOur immune cells take cues from the environment to guide their responses
 . One important type of biomolecule that immune cells use to differentiate
  ‘good’ from ‘bad’ are the complex carbohydrates that decorate the outside
  of our own cells or of pathogens\, the structures of which are necessaril
 y very different. The ability to sense these carbohydrates takes place thr
 ough glycanbinding proteins (GBPs) that can either stimulate or repress im
 mune cells. Siglecs are one such family of GBPs expressed on our immune ce
 lls\, and through interactions with their sialic acidcontaining glycan lig
 ands\, they play fundamental roles in immune homeostasis. As sialic acid i
 s rarely present on pathogens\, Siglecs recognize ‘self’ and – not surpris
 ingly – act as a ‘brake’ to prevent inappropriate immune responses against
  our own tissues. Given that the function of Siglecs is dictated by intera
 ctions with their sialic acid ligands\, a deeper knowledge of these ligand
 s is needed to better understand how these complex structures are altered 
 in disease such as cancer and autoimmunity\, and to develop new strategies
  to modulate immune cell function for therapeutic benefit. Studying Siglec
 -glycan interactions is challenging due to the low affinity at which they 
 recognize their glycan ligands\, as well as the heterogeneity of cellular 
 glycans. Our laboratory is developing approaches that are compatible with 
 both of these challenging features. Specifically\, we are developing new a
 pproaches to study Siglec ligands\, including: (i) a mass spectrometrybase
 d assay to quantitatively dissect the natural repertoire of glycans on cel
 ls and (ii) a chemical genetics strategy to assess the enzymes responsible
  for creating the ligands for individual Siglecs. Accelerating these effor
 ts are a new toolbox of soluble Siglecs that have been created and validat
 ed. Progress towards implementing these approaches will be presented for a
  number of Siglec recently implicated as important next-generation targets
  in immuno-oncology.\n\nBio:\n\nTrained as a biochemist\, Dr. Macauley car
 ried out his PhD with Professor David Vocadlo\, at Simon Frasier Universit
 y\, using chemical biology to tackle roles for glycosylation. This interes
 t was further developed during his Postdoctoral research with Professor Ja
 mes Paulson\, at The Scripps Research Institute\, where Dr. Macauley devel
 oped an expertise in glycoimmunology. For the three years prior to joining
  the University of Alberta\, Dr. Macauley has been an Assistant Professor 
 at The Scripps Research Institute where he has been developing projects th
 at he is excited to carry on at University of Alberta. Dr. Macauley is a t
 ier II Canada Research Chair in Chemical Glycoimmunology\, and loves to re
 search\, teach\, and mentor in this area.\n
DTSTART:20210420T170000Z
DTEND:20210420T183000Z
SUMMARY:Chemical Society Seminar: Matt MacCauley -  Development of Biochemi
 cal Approaches to Study Immunologically-relevant Protein-Carbohydrate Inte
 ractions
URL:/chemistry/channels/event/chemical-society-seminar
 -matt-maccauley-development-biochemical-approaches-study-immunologically-3
 28580
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