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Featuring talks by

Prof. CHEN Xing

Professor, Dean, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University

Topic: Deciphering the Glycocode by Bioorthogonal and Click Chemistry

Prof. PENG Wenjie

Principal Investigator, Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Topic: Targeting Tumor Cells via Siglec High Affinity Ligands on Multivalent Platforms

YANG Yi

CEO, Founder, Glyco-therapy Biotechnology Co., Ltd.

Topic: Chemoenzymatical Remodeling of Fc-Glycans for Construction of Multi-Specific Antibody Conjugates

Moderated by

Prof. WU Peng

Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research

Topic: Development of T-Cell Based Immunotherapies for the Treatment of Solid Tumors

About the Session

Click Chemistry Tools For Studying Glycosylation

About the Speeches

CHEN Xing
Professor, Dean, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University

Brief bio: Dr. Chen Xing is currently a Changjiang Distinguished Professor and Dean of the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering at Peking University. He completed his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Tsinghua University in 2002 and his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 2007, under the guidance of Prof. Carolyn Bertozzi and Prof. Alex Zettl. He then joined the laboratory of Prof. Timothy Springer at Harvard Medical School as a LSRF postdoctoral fellow, where his research focused on structural immunology. Dr. Chen started as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Peking University in 2010 and was promoted directly to Full Professor with tenure in 2016. He is also affiliated with Center for Life Science (CLS) and the Synthetic and Functional Biomolecule Center (SFBC) of Peking University. Some of his recent awards include the Zhang Shuzheng Award for Outstanding Achievements in Glycoscience (2021), the ACS Horace S. Isbell Award (2021), the Xplore Prize (2010), Tan Kah Kee Young Scientist Award (2020), CCS-RSC Young Chemist Award (2018), and ACS David Y. Gin New Investigator Award (2016). His current research interest focuses on chemical glycobiology.

Topic: Deciphering the Glycocode by Bioorthogonal and Click Chemistry

Abstract: As one of the major biomacromolecules, glycans mediate various important physiological and pathological processes. On the other hand, glycans are highly complex and heterogeneous. Unlike nucleic acids and proteins, powerful tools for deciphering the biological function of glycans (i.e., glycocode) are relatively lacking. The development of bioorthogonal and click chemistry has enabled probing glycans in ways not possible before. Our group has developed various click chemistry-assisted tools for glycan imaging and glycoproteomic analysis, with an emphasis on probing glycosylation dynamics in vivo. We are particularly interested in how glycosylation regulates the physiology and pathology of the brain during development. In this talk, I will introduce some of the recent progress in this direction.

PENG Wenjie
Principal Investigator, Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Brief bio: Dr. Peng Wenjie has been a principal investigator of Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine at Shanghai Jiao Tong University since 2018. He received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics jointly with Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences under the supervision of Prof. Yu Biao in 2006. Then, he joined Prof. Todd Lowary laboratory at University of Alberta as a postdoc fellow, and later worked at Scripps Research Institute (Consortium for Functional Glycomics and Prof. James Paulson laboratory).
In recent years, by using multi-disciplinary approach, his lab is focusing on development of glycan-based probes to investigate the biological functions of glycan-binding proteins, e.g., Siglecs (Sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins) and viral spike proteins (from influenza viruses, coronaviruses, etc.), which mediate human diseases.

In recent years, by using a multi-disciplinary approach, his lab is focusing on the development of glycan-based probes to investigate the biological functions of glycan-binding proteins, e.g., Siglecs (Sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins) and viral spike proteins (from influenza viruses, coronaviruses, etc.), which mediate human diseases.

Topic: Targeting Tumor Cells via Siglec High Affinity Ligands on Multivalent Platforms

Abstract: Sialic acid-binding Immunoglobulin-like lectins (Siglecs) are specifically expressed on immune cells. As inhibitory co-receptors, binding to sialic acid (Sia) ligands leads to downregulating the activity of immune cells to prevent unwanted immune responses. Several tumor cells aberrantly express high levels of sialylated glycans (sialosides), which can interact with the inhibitory Siglecs to evade immune surveillance. Because of their cell-specific expression, endocytic properties, and roles as immune checkpoints, Siglecs have become promising therapeutic targets for autoimmune diseases and cancers.

In addition to the anti-Siglec antibodies, chemically-modified sialosides have been developed to improve the binding affinity and selectivity towards Siglecs. So far, a panel of sialoside analogs has been identified as Siglec high affinity ligands by high-throughput screening of glycan microarray, which is prepared by condensation or click chemistry. To enhance the anti-tumor activity, we enzymatically incorporate Siglec high affinity ligands onto NK cells. To this end, the substrate scope of CMP-Sia synthase (CSS), a key enzyme in the sialylation process, was broadened via rational design. By combination of CSS mutant and sialyltransferase, Siglec ligands were successfully installed on the NK cell surface in a single step, profoundly improving the cytotoxicity against Siglec-positive tumor cells.

YANG Yi
CEO, Founder, Glyco-therapy Biotechnology Co., Ltd.

Brief bio: Dr. Yang Yi received his doctorate from Peking University in 2017 under the guidance of Prof. Chen Peng. From July 2017 to November 2019, Dr. Yang was a postdoctoral fellow in the group of Prof. Wu Peng and Prof. K. Barry Sharpless. After his postdoctoral training, Dr. YANG started his independent career in the industry. He is the CEO and founder of Glyco-therapy Biotechnology Co., Ltd., a start-up company in Hangzhou. The research in Yang's group focuses on combining glycoengineering with protein chemistry to develop a conjugation platform for the construction of multi-specific drugs for therapeutic applications. This platform has been used by biotechs and biopharmas to develop the next generation of antibody-drug conjugates.

Topic: Chemoenzymatical Remodeling of Fc-Glycans for Construction of Multi-Specific Antibody Conjugates

Abstract: Glycoengineering has provided powerful tools to construct site-specific antibody conjugates. However, only limited reaction handles or payloads with small molecular sizes could be directly transferred to native or engineered antibodies using existing glycoengineering strategies. Herein, by improving the enzymatic activities of fucosyltransferase and optimizing the structure of fucose derivatives, we develop a "one-step" strategy that enables the direct transfer of multiple payloads to antibodies with high efficiency. In addition, we found that reducing the complexity of crystallizable fragment (Fc) glycans could dramatically enhance the chemoenzymatic modification of immunoglobulin G (IgG), allowing the direct transfer of biomacromolecules such as oligonucleotides and nanobodies in a single step within hours. Using these strategies, a series of antibody conjugates with translational values have been constructed, including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with a variety of designed DAR and different payloads (2, 4, 2+2, 4+4), antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs), and antibody-protein/peptide conjugates (APCs).

WU Peng
Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research

Brief bio: Wu Peng is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine. Dr. Wu received his doctorate from the Scripps Research Institute in 2005 under the guidance of Prof. K. Barry Sharpless. From August 2005 to September 2008, Dr. Wu was a postdoctoral fellow in the group of Prof. Carolyn R. Bertozzi at the University of California, Berkeley. There, he combined his interests in bioorthogonal chemistry and biotechnology by developing a method for site-specific modification of monoclonal antibodies using a genetically encoded aldehyde tag. The research in the Wu laboratory integrates synthetic chemistry with glycobiology to explore the cellular and molecular mechanisms that control immune responses toward cancer and human pathogens.

Topic: Development of T-Cell Based Immunotherapies for the Treatment of Solid Tumors

Abstract: Adoptive T-cell transfer has achieved remarkable success in the treatment of B-cell malignancies, but efficacy against solid tumors is limited. How to overcome T cell exhaustion and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment are two major challenges waiting to be solved. In this talk, I will discuss our recent efforts to address these challenges.