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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Nathan Hotaling
Ph.D. Thesis Proposal
Advisor: Julia Babensee (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Committee Members:
Richard Cummings, PhD (Emory University)
Thomas Barker, PhD (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Andres Garcia, PhD (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Daniel Ratner, PhD (University of Washington)
Niren Murthy, PhD (Georgia Institute of Technology)
John Kauh, PhD (Emory University)
"Determining the Role of Glycans and Glycoproteins in Modulating Dendritic Cell Phenotype"
Dendritic cells (DCs) are the link between innate and adaptive immunity and are the most potent antigen presenting cells in the immune system. As such these cells represent an ideal target for modulating the immune response to implanted materials, combination products, and vaccine conjugates. A class of receptors found on DCs known as C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) which recognize characteristic pathogen and danger associated carbohydrate motifs, have recently been identified as key regulators in DC response. The goal of this proposal is to elucidate, from a large array of glycans, which carbohydrates, in what structures, and in which context modulate primary dendritic cell phenotype and can cause a functional immunomodulatory effect. The hypothesis is that glycans and glycoproteins when isolated and surface-immobilized have functional modulatory effects on primary human dendritic cell (DC) phenotype. It is also hypothesized that this modulatory affect can be controllably altered via the type, form, context, and/or density of carbohydrate presentation. A high throughput (HTP) assay will be developed to test this hypothesis. Additionally, large exogenous, endogenous, and aberrant endogenous glycan arrays will be tested to determine the ability of the display methodology and HTP assay to select glycans of clinical significance.
