Scientists
Email: landon.edgar (at) utoronto (dot) ca
Principal Investigator
Landon J. Edgar, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
The University of Toronto
Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology | Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Department of Chemistry | Faculty of Arts & Science
Graduate Students
Dzhangar earned his Pharm.D. degree at the University of Debrecen, Hungary. As an undergraduate, Dzhangar gained research experience in the Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Physiology under the co-supervision of Dr. Attila Olah and Dr. Toth Fanni. The goal of this project was to study the influence of endocannabinoids on epidermal differentiation in the context of skin pathologies. This work identified the mtCB1 receptor as a key regulator of the mitochondrial ROS generation and highlighted its possible impact on epidermal cell differentiation. This project eventually shifted to the study of mitochondrial disorders as precursors to skin disease. Currently, Dzhangar is a Ph.D. student in The Edgar Lab and will focus on using synthetic carbohydrate chemistry to develop next-generation tools for editing specific glycans on the surface of immune cells.
Dzhangar Badmaev, Pharm.D.
Ph.D. Student, Pharmacology Program (2021–Present)
Focus: Synthetic Chemistry
Fauzia Nurul Izzati, M.Sc.
Ph.D. Student, Pharmacology Program (2022–Present)
Focus: Glycoimmunology
Fauzia graduated from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Indonesia, with her bachelor's in Pharmacy and the University of Glasgow, UK, with her Master's in Forensic Toxicology. Her bachelor's research work was on the in vivo appetite-stimulating effect of essential oil from C. xanthorrhiza under the supervision of Prof. Suwijiyo Pramono and Dr. Ika Puspitasari. Her master's research was focused on mass spectrometry analysis of synthetic cathinones under the supervision of Dr. Calum Morrison. Fauzia gained research experience in immunopharmacology under the supervision of Prof. Zullies Ikawati (UGM) with her project on the immunomodulatory activity of herbal medicine. Prior to her tenure in the Edgar Lab, she was a junior researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency in Indonesia (BRIN). Here, she was involved in a clinical trial on the immunomodulatory activity of herbal formulation for COVID-19 patients in Indonesia.
Paolo is a Ph.D. student in the Edgar lab interested in studying the role of glycans in regulating normal immune responses and how altered glycan expression can promote human disease. As an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, he gained experience in the fields of molecular genetics and pharmacology in the labs of Dr. Frederick (Fritz) Roth and Dr. Basil Hubbard. Paolo’s work in the Edgar lab will focus on identifying glycan binding proteins that function as immune checkpoints, which may serve as novel targets for therapeutics.
Paolo Giuliana, HB.Sc.
Ph.D. Student, Pharmacology Program (2022–Present)
Focus: Glycomaterials and target discovery
Hani graduated from McMaster University with her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Biology. As an undergraduate student in Dr. Philip Britz-McKibbin’s laboratory, she developed a strong passion for the field of bio-analytical chemistry and gained experience in mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and biomarker discovery research. In one of her major projects, she worked towards identifying alternative metabolomic biomarkers for newborn screening of galactosemia using multiplexed capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (MSI-CE-MS) methodology. As a Ph.D. student in the Edgar lab, Hani is excited to bridge her analytical chemistry background with glycoimmunology research and work towards mapping and elucidating the role of glycans in autoimmune disorders using high dimensionality spectral flow cytometry, with the aim of identifying potential disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Hani Choksi, HB.Sc.
Ph.D. Student, Pharmacology Program (2022–Present)
Focus: Glycans in autoimmunity
Olivia is a Ph.D. student in the Edgar lab interested in developing methods to access new classes of glycopolymers. These reagents will ultimately be deployed to interrogate the carbohydrate axis of immunology. During her undergraduate studies, Olivia gained experience in the non-viral delivery of genetic medicines as a product development intern at Precision NanoSystems in Vancouver, BC and in the fields of allergy and immunology at the McMaster Immunology Research Centre in the lab of Dr. Manel Jordana. In developing chemical tools to engineer the glycocalyx, Olivia’s work aims to uncover functional relationships between cell surface glycans and biological processes.
Olivia Mann-Delany, HB.Sc.
Ph.D. Student, Chemistry Program (2023–Present)
Co-advised with Prof. Helen Tran
Focus: Glycopolymer chemistry
Vanessa graduated from Ontario Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in health sciences, specializing in human health science. During her undergraduate studies, she won an NSERC USRA during which she worked in Dr. Jean-Paul Desaulniers’ lab to investigate novel chemical short interfering siRNA modifications for gene silencing in cancer cell lines. Her undergraduate thesis focused on heat shock protein gene expression and epigenetic modifications in PBMCs exposed to heat stress under the supervision of Dr. Holly Jones Taggart. Her interests in chemical and molecular biology led her to pursue research in the Edgar Lab where she will be developing new technologies to modify glycans on the surface of T cells. Vanessa is excited to advance her knowledge in immunopharmacology and glycobiology while uncovering the therapeutic potential that modified glycans may have in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Vanessa Affe, HB.Sc.
M.Sc. Student, Pharmacology Program (2023–Present)
Focus: Glycoimmunology and molecular biology
Originally from Guelph, Sascha completed her B.Sc. in Bio-organic Chemistry at McGill University in Montreal. During her undergraduate studies, she was awarded two NSERC USRA’s during which she had the opportunity to work with Dr. Janine Mauzeroll on one project involving the evaluation of quatsomes as a tool for biofilm eradication and a second project aiming to monitor atmospheric corrosion rates. The second project was also supported by the NSERC CREATE CORRECT program and was performed in collaboration with Dr. Edouard Asselin from the University of British Columbia. Now, Sascha is excited to be working on her M.Sc. at the intersection of chemistry and glycobiology in collaboration with Haissi Cui’s group.
Sascha Woolcott, HB.Sc.
M.Sc. Student, Chemistry Program (2024–Present)
Co-advised with Prof. Haissi Cui
Focus: Glycoprotein chemistry
Isabelle graduated from Queen’s University with her bachelor’s degree in chemistry. She was awarded an NSERC URSA which allowed her to work in Dr. Chantelle Capicciotti’s lab where she synthesized a functionalized glycan structure to help prepare nanomedicines for cancer therapy applications. This introduction to glycobiology is what led Isabelle to the Edgar and Nitz Labs where she is excited to continue exploring the field of glycobiology, specifically how cell surface glycans mediate immune responses.
Isabelle Da Barp, HB.Sc.
M.Sc. Student, Chemistry Program (2024–Present)
Co-advised with Prof. Mark Nitz
Focus: Chemoenzymatic glycan synthesis
Vivian is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing an immunology and physiology double major at the University of Toronto. She is interested in the effects of glycan alteration on immune regulation and the progression of human diseases. Vivian's research experience project in The Edgar Lab will focus on producing glycosyltransferase enzymes to develop important glycan displays on nanoparticles which will be used for further immune applications.
Vivian Jiang
HBSc. Student (2021–Present)
Immunology Summer Student Research Program (ISSRP) student
Focus: Immunology & Nanomaterials
Sophia is a second-year undergraduate student specializing in pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Toronto. She is passionate about learning the important roles of glycan structures in body’s response to cancer. Sophia’s project in the Edgar Lab will focus on investigating the glycoprofile of cancer cells using flow cytometry.
Sophia Lei
HBSc. Student (2022–Present)
Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) student
Focus: Glycoimmunology
David is a second-year undergraduate student pursuing a pharmacology and toxicology specialist at the University of Toronto. He is keen on exploring glycan composition and structure within tissues and discovering how their dynamics can serve as a foundation for disease-related therapies. David’s research experience project in the Edgar Lab will involve high-parameter flow cytometry to describe glycan presentation in settings of autoimmunity.
David Badillo Avila
HBSc. Student (2022–Present)
PCL297H student
Focus: Glycoimmunology