Glycans are complex carbohydrates – more than just metabolic molecules – they provide structure, defense, and information transfer between and within cells.
The Kizer Lab focuses on the development of glycan-focused tools and technologies to understand the role of these complex carbohydrates in human health and disease.
Directed Evolution of Glycan Reading Libraries
Leveraging the power of directed evolution, we develop highly-selective and tight-binding protein probes against disaccharides. The evolved proteins comprise a larger glycan reading library that will enable detection and deconvolution of complex carbohydrates in their native contexts. This tailorable platform will enable the generation of glycan reading libraries to user-defined carbohydrate antigens.
Plug-and-Play Enzyme Microreactors for Bespoke Glycan Synthesis
The chemical nature of carbohydrates (i.e. multiple hydroxyl groups available for polymerization) renders the synthesis of complex glycans as a tedious process. Therefore, we leverage natures catalysts, glycosyltransferases, to specifically build glycans with distinct chemical composition and degree of polymerization. Immobilization of glycosyltransferases on microfluidic chips enables a plug-and-play approach towards bespoke glycan therapeutics and research tools.
Nanostructured Glycoconjugates as Vaccine Candidates
Driven by the resurgence in antibiotic resistance of Neisseria gonorrohoeae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we aim to develop nanostructured glycoconjugate vaccines towards these pathogenic bacteria. Using structural knowledge of their pilin glycoproteins, an array of differentially presented glycan antigens patterned on DNA nanotube carriers will be generated. These nanostructured glycoconjugates can inform antigen spacing and distribution requirements for optimal vaccine efficacy. Applications in vitro and in vivo elucidate glycan-based interactions underpinning bacterial pathogenesis, enabling the elucidation of disease progression mechanisms and guiding rational design of novel glycan therapeutics.
