Congratulations to Dr Su Tong from Dr Sham Lok To’s Lab for winning the Best Graduate Research Publication Award 2024!

This is Dr Su Tong had to say about winning the award:

“I am honoured to receive the Graduate Research Publication Award 2024, which has made all my efforts feel worthwhile. I am deeply grateful to my thesis advisor, Dr. Chris Sham, for his invaluable mentorship and to my thesis advisory committee for their expertise and advice. Additionally, I extend my heartfelt thanks to my family, friends, and colleagues for their essential support. This award has boosted my confidence, inspired me to strive for excellence, and reminded me of the support I’ve received.”

Their research, titled “Rewiring the Pneumococcal Capsule Pathway for Investigating Glycosyltransferase Specificity and Genetic Glycoengineering,” explores the intricacies of glycans and glycoconjugates, which are found in all living cells and are primarily controlled by glycosyltransferases (GTs). While GTs typically adopt one of three folds—GT-A, GT-B, and GT-C—the factors defining their specificities remain poorly understood. By employing a genetic glycoengineering approach to reprogram capsular and manipulate glycan structures, their findings suggest that the central cleft of GT-B enzymes is crucial for determining acceptor specificity. Additionally, they demonstrated that mutations in glycosyltransferases and transporters, as well as biochemical derivatization of purified glycans, can partially alleviate constraints on the glycoengineering platform to relax substrate specificity. Their modifications to the pneumococcal capsule produced several medically important mammalian glycans and highlighted the significance of regiochemistry in glycosidic linkages for binding lung epithelial cells, providing mechanistic insights into GT specificity and a novel approach for investigating glycan functions.