Updated: December 3, 2015
Jonathan Woon Teck Yap
CBC Scholar: Class of 2012
PhD Candidate, Department of Biomedical Engineering, NU
Advisor: Lonnie Shea
SHEA LAB WEBPAGE
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
My research interests lie in the field of islet transplantation and tolerance induction for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. Current pancreatic islet transplantation is hindered by an active autoimmune response against the transplanted islets that requires generalized immunosuppression that renders the patient highly susceptible to infections and the development of neoplasia. In addition, allogeneic transplants are subjected to active graft rejection. My work focuses on the development of antigen and gene delivery vehicles for the induction of antigen-specific tolerance to treat autoimmune diseases and to prevent allogeneic transplant rejection. Recently, I have successfully prevented and treated disease in the remitting-relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (R-EAE) model of the human autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis.
PUBLICATIONS:
Hlavaty KA, McCarthy DP, Saito E, Yap WT, Miller SD, Shea LD. Tolerance induction using nanoparticles bearing HY peptides in bone marrow transplantation. Biomaterials. 2016 Jan;76:1-10. (PubMed)
Bryant J, Hlavaty KA, Zhang X, Yap WT, Zhanga L, Shea LD, Luo X. Nanoparticle delivery of donor antigens for transplant tolerance in allogeneic islet transplantation. Biomaterials. 2014 Oct;35(31):8887-94. (PubMed)
Hunter Z, McCarthy DP, Yap WT, Harp CT, Getts DR, Shea LD, Miller SD. A biodegradable nanoparticle platform for the induction of antigen-specific immune tolerance for treatment of autoimmune disease. ACS Nano. 2014 Mar 25;8(3):2148-60. (PubMed)
Thomas AM, Gomez AJ, Palma JL, Yap WT, Shea LD. Heparin-chitosan nanoparticle functionalization of porous poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels for localized lentivirus delivery of angiogenic factors. Biomaterials. 2014 Oct;35(30):8687-93. (PubMed)
Yap WT, Song WK, Chauhan N, Scalise PN, Agarwal R, Miller SD, Shea LD. Quantification of particle-conjugated or particle-encapsulated peptides on interfering reagent backgrounds. Biotechniques. 2014 Jul 1;57(1):39-44. (PubMed)
Yap WT, Salvay DM, Silliman MA, Zhang X, Bannon ZG, Kaufman DB, Lowe W, Shea LD. Collagen IV-Modified Scaffolds Improve Islet Survival and Function and Reduce Time to Euglycemia. Tissue Eng Part A. 2013 Nov;19(21-22):2361-72. (PubMed)
Getts DR, Martin AJ, McCarthy DP, Terry RL, Hunter ZN, Yap WT, Getts MT, Pleiss M, Luo X, King NJ, Shea LD, Miller SD. Microparticles bearing encephalitogenic peptides induce T-cell tolerance and ameliorate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Nat Biotechnol. 2012 Dec 7;30(12):1217-24. (PubMed)
Jain S, Yap WT, Irvine DJ. Synthesis of protein-loaded hydrogel particles in an aqueous two-phase system for coincident antigen and CpG oligonucleotide delivery to antigen-presenting cells. Biomacromolecules. 2005 Sep-Oct;6(5):2590-600. (PubMed)
Fong SWA, Yap WT, Vittal JJ, Henderson W, Hor TSA. Mass spectrometry-directed synthesis of ‘early–late’ sulfide-bridged heterobimetallic complexes from the metalloligand [Pt2(PPh3)4(μ-S)2] and oxo compounds of vanadium(V), molybdenum(VI) and uranium(VI). J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. 2002, 1826-1831. (RCS Publishing)
Fong SWA, Yap WT, Vittal JJ, Hor TSA, Henderson W, Oliver AG, Rickard CEF. A combinatorial-like probe on the reactivity of the {Pt2S2} core of Pt2(PPh3)4(μ-S)2 by electrospray mass spectrometry. Synthesis and structures of novel heterometallic sulfide aggregates of gold(III), mercury(II), and tin(IV) with platinum(II). J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. 2001, 1986-2002. (RCS Publishing)
AWARDS, ACTIVITIES AND SERVICE:
- CBC Scholar 2012-2013
- Ryan Fellowship Chicago, 2007
- Volunteer judge at 2011 John T. McCutcheon Elementary School