Landon J. Edgar

The Edgar Lab harnesses methods from immunology, chemistry, and biochemistry to study and manipulate the immune system, with a specific focus on the roles of carbohydrates in health and disease. The Edgar Lab's broad research vision is to program synthetic immune responses by engineering the glycans presented on immune cells. Technologies produced by the lab will provide the foundation for next-generation therapeutics that will benefit patients suffering from a variety of diseases, including inflammatory arthritis, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes.

Major research pillars in the lab include:  

A) Glycocalyx engineering for synthetic immunology  The lab uses glycosyltransferases, glycosidases, synthetic monosaccharides, and small molecular inhibitors of glycosylation to alter the composition of glycans presented on the surface of immune cells.  

B) Mapping glycan-lectin networks via high-dimensionality single cell analysis  Glycans are reservoirs of information that can be decoded at cell-cell interfaces. The lab applies state-of-the-art ’spectral’ flow cytometry technology to develop a better understanding of how glycans enable communication between immune cells.  

C) Targeted nanoparticle scaffolds for spatial control over effector cell recruitment  Cell-based therapies are transforming how many diseases are treated; however, a major limitation of these treatments is recruiting the therapeutic cells to sites of diseases. To address this, we develop immune cell attracting nanoparticles that direct these cells to where they are needed most in vivo.