Jeff Hsiao (RIBBECK & ALTER LABS)

Probing Mucins as Host-derived Immunomodulators of Neutrophils

Mucus is a hydrogel that coats >2000 ft2 of human surfaces not covered by skin. In addition to constant exposure to exogeneous agents, mucus also houses the microbiome, providing various potential sources of inflammation. However, how the immune system tolerates the abundance of immunostimulatory factors without excessive inflammation remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that mucins, the main proteins in mucus, are potent host-derived immunomodulators of neutrophil activation, revealing a potential mechanism underlying mucosal homeostasis.

Megan Hoffman (WITTRUP LAB)

Engineering a Screening Platform for the Discovery of Protein-based Degraders

Targeted protein degradation has the potential to expand therapeutic development to otherwise “undruggable” protein targets by regulating target abundance rather than activity. However, current methods to screen for effective degraders are low throughput and serve as a major bottleneck for the development of degrader therapies. Here, we aim to develop an assay platform that enables medium to high throughput screening of degrader constructs for the identification of macromolecules capable of directing degradation of a protein target.