Asher J Williams, PhD
Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering
Department of Chemical Engineering
Program: Tumor Biology and Microenvironment (TBM)
Title: "Engineering Glycan Recognition for Precision Cancer Targeting and Immune Modulation"
Description: Our laboratory develops engineered molecular recognition systems for cancer targeting and immune modulation. A major focus of our work is on glycans, the complex sugars that decorate cell surfaces, which are extensively altered in cancer and can influence how tumors interact with the immune system. In this talk, I will describe our efforts to engineer glycan-binding proteins and targeted delivery systems using protein engineering, biophysical characterization, and computational approaches. I will highlight our work developing receptor-targeted platforms for dendritic cell engagement and discuss emerging strategies that combine tumor-associated glycan recognition with immune-directed delivery. Finally, I will discuss opportunities to translate these technologies into clinically relevant cancer models through collaborations involving human tumor specimens, tumor–immune models, glycomic profiling, and therapeutic evaluation.
Santiago Correa, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Program: Tumor Biology and Microenvironment (TBM)
Title: "Sacrificial biomaterials as templates for tertiary lymphoid structures in situ"
Description: Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) are organized clusters of T cells, B cells, and supporting stroma that assemble inside non-lymphoid tissue, in effect building a small, functional lymph node on site. In cancer, their presence in and around tumors tracks with better outcomes and with response to immunotherapy, which raises a practical question: can we build them on demand? This talk frames that problem as one of templating. We use injectable biomaterials as transient scaffolds that hold a defined set of immune cues in place long enough for cells to recruit, sort, and organize themselves, then give way as the tissue takes over. I will describe how these structures form and mature in healthy tissue, early work extending the approach to tumors, and where the strategy could connect to ongoing immunotherapy efforts across the HICCC.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://columbiacuimc.zoom.us/j/98062087107?pwd=ODN1TFwbtR23dO0Pk7Bq73td7fG91L.1
Meeting ID: 980 6208 7107
Passcode: 267022
