IMP seminar: Immunoactive glycan biomaterials for tissue repair

Talk summary:

In the era of regenerative medicine, biomaterials have evolved from bio-inert mechanical supports to bio-active tools in diverse forms that actively interact with the tissue. Avoiding the biomaterials-tissue interaction is impossible, while failure to control it causes poor therapeutic outcomes. In the past decade, inspired by mainly glycan signals on microbial surfaces but also mammalian cell glycosaminoglycans, we have designed a series of glycan polymers (and also oligosaccharides) with two ranges of biomaterials for tissue repair and cell therapy. The first class, mainly based on glucomannan derivatives and oligosaccharides, exhibit relatively specific immunomodulatory activities that may be harnessed to induce macrophage-induced tissue repair. The second class, from wider sources, possess selective affinities for growth factors or secreted proteins that can possibly be utilised for promoting tissue remodelling. We also develop in-house technologies, e.g. 3D printing specifically for glycans without chemical modification, to support the preparation of these sweet polymers for the potential treatment of the sour body.

Speaker:

Chunming Wang is a Professor at the University of Macau (UM). Initially trained as a biochemist at Nanjing University, China, he obtained his PhD in Bioengineering from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is no stranger to the UK, as he undertook his postdoctoral training between Wilhelm Huck’s lab in the Chemistry Department and Fiona Watt’s group in the Wellcome Trust Stem Cell Centre at the University of Cambridge. Then, after gaining experience in collaboration with industry at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore, Chunming headed for Macau to join UM in October 2012 and has since been Assistant Professor, Associate Professor (2018-2022) and Professor (2022-). His research focuses on developing glycan biomaterials and cell therapies to modulate the immune niche for promoting tissue regeneration. He has published as a corresponding author in recognised journals such as Nature Communications, Science Advances, EMBO Molecular Medicine, Gut, Advanced Materials, and Cell Reports, etc. He has won multiple research grants at national and regional levels, been elected as a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Biology and Royal Society of Chemistry, UK and serves on the editorial board of Bioactive Materials. In addition to research, he oversees the Research Office at UM and prides himself as an amateur entrepreneur dreaming of translating his findings into clinical applications.