Description:

The Peptide Synthesis Core and the Analytical bioNanotechnology Equipment Core (ANTEC) of the Simpson Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology (SQI) proudly announce the

Rising Stars of SQI Lecture

Featuring

Jes Sanders, MD, General Surgery Resident, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Laboratory of James Mathew and Joseph Leventhal

who will present a lecture titled

"Leveraging Antigen-Specific Regulatory T Cells as Adoptive Cell Therapy in Organ Transplantation"

Abstract: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a subset of CD4+ T cells that are responsible for maintaining immune homeostasis. These cells have been shown to promote immunological tolerance in mouse models of transplantation and are elevated in operationally tolerant human recipients. However, an elusive goal in the field of solid organ transplantation is the establishment of “donor-specific tolerance,” whereby the recipient recognizes the transplanted organ as “self,” allowing for reduction or cessation of immunosuppression. I will present on our experience with ex-vivo manipulation of Tregs to a clinical scale, creating a pure and highly suppressive product that can be used as an adoptive cell therapy. More specifically, these Tregs have been expanded through a process of ex-vivo antigen education, increasing their specificity for donor-derived MHC:peptide complexes and potency as compared to polyclonally expanded cell products. Released exosomes from antigen-specific Tregs (pictured at left, bottom panel) also display immunoregulatory functions including downregulation of the alloimmune response and expansion of regulatory cell subsets in an antigen-specific fashion. 

Biography: Jes Sanders graduated from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 2019 and is currently a 5th year general surgery resident at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. For the last two years, he has been funded by the Transplant Surgery Scientist Training Program of Northwestern University (NIDDK, T32) as a post-doctoral research fellow in the laboratory of Dr. James Mathew and Dr. Joseph Leventhal. Their research is focused on developing tolerance induction strategies, such as regulatory T cells, for use in solid organ transplantation and comprehensive profiling of alloreactive repertoires over time in transplant recipients. Dr. Sanders has been the recipient of the Steven J Stryker, MD, Gastrointestinal Surgery Research and Education Endowment for the past two years, the 2024 American Society of Transplantation Cutting Edge of Transplantation Young Innovator Award, the 2024 American Society of Transplant Surgeons Sherilyn Gordon Memorial Travel Award, and the 2024 Dr. Michael M. Abecassis Transplant Innovation Endowment Grant.