{"id":11455,"date":"2019-05-02T09:00:52","date_gmt":"2019-05-02T15:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/canadianglycomics.ca\/?p=11455"},"modified":"2019-05-02T09:02:32","modified_gmt":"2019-05-02T15:02:32","slug":"glyconet-welcomes-three-new-network-investigators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianglycomics.ca\/fr\/glyconet-welcomes-three-new-network-investigators\/","title":{"rendered":"GlycoNet welcomes three new Network Investigators"},"content":{"rendered":"

Drs. Chantelle Capicciotti, Samy Cecioni, and Lisa Willis further strengthen multidisciplinary expertise of the Network<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Drs. Chantelle Capicciotti (left), Samy Cecioni (middle), and Lisa Willis (right) join GlycoNet as Network Investigators. (Photo: Dr. Willis’ photo supplied by John Ulan)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By\nAli Chou<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three researchers\u2014Drs. Chantelle Capicciotti, Samy Cecioni, and Lisa Willis\u2014have been confirmed as Network Investigators (NIs) by GlycoNet\u2019s Research Management Committee and Board of Directors. The new NIs will help expand the scale and scope of GlycoNet\u2019s research activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\nare very excited to have Chantelle, Samy, and Lisa join the Network,\u201d says Dr.\nTodd Lowary, Scientific Director at GlycoNet. \u201cThey each approach glycomics\nresearch through a unique lens, which will help the Network increase its\nimpact, as it continues to strive to find concrete solutions to current and\nfuture health needs of Canadians. I look forward to seeing our new Network Investigators\ncollaborate with colleagues to advance glycomics translational research.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Capicciotti<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>(@CCapicciotti<\/a>), an Assistant Professor and Queen\u2019s National Scholar at Queen\u2019s University, works at the intersection of organic chemistry, biochemistry and cell biology. Her team combines chemo-enzymatic glycan synthesis with intricate molecular tools to engineer cell surfaces with defined glycan structures. These engineered cell surfaces can be used to elucidate how certain glycan-protein interactions stimulate biological functions. Capicciotti and her team are also developing glycan-based tools for identifying disease biomarkers, imaging techniques, and cell-based therapies with applications for cancer and stem-cell therapies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cecioni<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>(@SCecioni<\/a>), an Assistant Professor at l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, bridges chemistry\nand glycobiology to study the roles of glycan-processing enzymes and\nglycan-binding proteins in health and disease; specifically, his team is designing\nchemical probes\/reporters to monitor enzyme activities and to characterize\nbinding events in cells. He also focuses on developing synthetic glycomimetics\nto perturb glycan-protein interactions that play a role in the pathophysiology\nof many diseases such as cancer but also metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Willis<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>(@DrLisaWillis<\/a>), an Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta, leverages glycobiology,\nmicrobiology, and immunology to address fundamental questions regarding the\npivotal roles of glycans in human immune systems. Specifically, she is investigating how\nglycans are involved in population-specific autoimmune diseases, such as lupus,\nscleroderma, and rheumatoid arthritis. Her research group also studies the\nfunction of bacterial protein glycosylation and its influence on cellular\nhomeostasis and environmental sensing in the microbiome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nthree new investigators are no strangers to GlycoNet, having collaborated with\nNetwork members on multidisciplinary projects. Capicciotti worked with Dr.\nRobert Ben during her doctoral studies and collaborated with Dr. Jason Acker on\ndesigning carbohydrate-based cryoprotectants to preserve cells at subzero\ntemperatures. She then completed postdoctoral studies with Dr. Geert-Jan Boons at\nthe Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, prior to\nestablishing her own research group at Queen\u2019s University in July 2018. \u201cDuring\nmy doctoral work, I became fascinated by the complexity of carbohydrates, their\nimportance in health and disease, and how they can be used for various\napplications. From this interest, I pursued further studies in complex glycan\nsynthesis and glycobiology, while maintaining a focus on interdisciplinary\nresearch at the interface of chemistry and biology. As a new Network\nInvestigator, I am looking forward to integrating into and collaborating with\nthe Canadian glycoscience community.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both\nCecioni and Willis are former GlycoNet trainees who led several projects since\njoining the Network. During his postdoctoral years with Dr. David Vocadlo at\nSimon Fraser University, Cecioni worked on designing chemical probes to study\nglycan-processing enzymes that are therapeutic targets for rare lysosomal\ndiseases and for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson\u2019s disease. In\nFebruary 2019, he established his own research group at l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al. \u201cThe extraordinary\nsupport that I have received from my mentors and the scientific community has\nbeen instrumental in my desire to start my independent career,\u201d says Cecioni.\n\u201cIn addition to the exciting science that is supported through GlycoNet, the Network\nbrings diverse people together and fosters a sense of belonging to the Canadian\ncommunity of glycoscientists. I think this is quite important, especially for\nyoung scientists such as trainees and starting professors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Willis\nwas a trainee with GlycoNet from 2015 to early 2019. During her time as a\npostdoctoral research fellow with Dr. Mark Nitz at the University of Toronto, Willis\ndeveloped novel methods for detecting and quantifying polysialic acid and\npolysialylated proteins in complex mixtures. \u201cIt\u2019s been amazing for introducing\nme to a community of trainees, professors, and other scientists,\u201d says Willis.\n\u201cGoing forward, I will have a network of people that I can call on to help with\nmy research and to collaborate with.\u201d In her new lab, Willis is applying the\ntools she developed to study the role of polysialic acid in cancer and\nautoimmune diseases. \u201cMy research will bridge the fields of glycomics and\nimmunology to transform our understanding of how the human immune system\nfunctions in health and disease,\u201d she says.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Drs. Chantelle Capicciotti, Samy Cecioni, and Lisa Willis further strengthen multidisciplinary expertise of the Network\ufeff.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11456,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[204],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","wpbf-post"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t