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Publications

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Kim, J. Y., Rosenberger, M. G., Rutledge, N. S., & Esser-Kahn, A. P. (2023). Next-Generation Adjuvants: Applying Engineering Methods to Create and Evaluate Novel Immunological Responses. Pharmaceutics, 15(6), 1687.

https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/15/6/1687

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Kim, J. Y., Rosenberger, M. G., Chen, S., Ip, C. K., Bahmani, A., Chen, Q., ... & Esser-Kahn, A. P. (2023). Discovery of New States of Immunomodulation for Vaccine Adjuvants via High Throughput Screening: Expanding Innate Responses to PRRs. ACS Central Science, 9(3), 427-439. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acscentsci.2c01351

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Uri Zvi, Adam Weiss, Denis Candido, Aidan Jones, Michael Flatté, Peter Maurer, Aaron Esser-Kahn, Iryna Golovina, Lingjie Chen Engineering Spin Coherence in Core-Shell Diamond Nanocrystals Bulletin of the American Physical Society 2023
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2305.03075

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Chao-Wei Huang, Jun Wang, Zhao Wang, Jorge Ayarza, and Aaron P. Esser-Kahn

Enhancing the Piezoelectric Voltage Output in a Gel Composite through the Tuning of the Matrix Dielectric Constant ACS Applied Engineering Materials 2022 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaenm.2c00032

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Deak, Peter Edward, Bradley Studnitzer, Trevor Ung, Rachel Steinhardt, Melody Swartz, and Aaron Esser-Kahn. Isolating and Targeting a Highly Active, Stochastic Dendritic Cell
Subpopulation for Improved Immune Responses
. Cell Reports 2022 Nov 1;41(5):111563.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111563

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A.M. Weiss, S. Hossainy, S.J. Rowan, J.A. Hubbell, A.P. Esser-Kahn. Immunostimulatory Polymers as Adjuvants, Immunotherapies, and Delivery Systems. Macromolecules 2022 55, 16, 6913–6937. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00854

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Ajit, J.; Cassaidy, B.; Tang, S.; Solanik, A.; Chen, Q.; Shen, J.; Esser-Kahn, A.P. Temporal control of trained immunity via encapsulated release of β-glucan improves therapeutic applications, Advanced Healthcare Materials, https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202200819

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Deak, P. Studnizter, B, Ung, T, Steinhardt, R. Swartz, M and Esser-Kahn, A.P. Isolating and Targeting a Highly Active, Stochastic Dendritic Cell Subpopulation for Improved Immune Responses. Cell Reports, BioRxiv 2022 http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4093302

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Hernandez-Davies, J.; Dollinger, E.; Pone, E.; Felgner, J.; Strohmeier, S.; Jan, S.; Albin, T.; Jain, A.; Nakajima, R.; Jasinskas, A. and Esser-Kahn, A.P.  Magnitude and Breadth of Antibody Cross-Reactivity Induced by Recombinant Influenza Hemagglutinin Trimer Vaccine Is Enhanced by Combination Adjuvants. 2021. Scientific Reports.  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-12727-y

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Gao, Y.; Dearborn, M. A.; Vyas, S.; Kumar, A.; Hemmer, J.; Wang, Z.; Wu, Q.; Alshangiti, O.; Moore, J. S.; Esser-Kahn, A. P.; Geubelle, P. H. Manipulating Frontal Polymerization and Instabilities with Phase-Changing Microparticles. J. Phys. Chem. B2021, 125(27), 7537–7545. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c03899.

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Kimani, F. W.; Manna, S.; Moser, B.; Shen, J.; Nihesh, N.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Improving the Adjuvanticity of Small Molecule Immune Potentiators Using Covalently Linked NF-ΚB Modulators. ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2021, 12 (9), 1441–1448. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmedchemlett.1c00267.

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Gao, Y.; Dearborn, M. A.; Hemmer, J.; Wang, Z.; Esser-Kahn, A. P.; Geubelle, P. H. Controllable Frontal Polymerization and Spontaneous Patterning Enabled by Phase-Changing Particles. Small2021, 17(42), 2102217.https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202102217

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Ayarza, J.; Wang, Z.; Wang, J.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Mechanically Promoted Synthesis of Polymer Organogels via Disulfide Bond Cross-Linking. ACS Macro Lett.2021, 10(7), 799–804. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.1c00337.

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Weiss, A. M.; Ajit, J.; Albin, T. J.; Kapoor, N.; Maroju, S.; Berges, A.; Pill, L.; Fairman, J.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Site-Specific Antigen-Adjuvant Conjugation Using Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Enhances Antigen Presentation and CD8 + T-Cell Response. Scientific Reports 2021, 11(1), 6267. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85709-1.

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Wang, Z.; Wang, J.; Ayarza, J.; Steeves, T.; Hu, Z.; Manna, S.; Esser‐Kahn, A. P. Bio-Inspired Mechanically Adaptive Materials through Vibration-Induced Crosslinking. Nature Materials 2021, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-021-00932-5.

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Fratzke, A. P.; Jan, S.; Felgner,J.; Liang, L.; Nakajima, R.; Jasinskas, A.; Manna, S.; Nihesh, F. N.; Maiti, S.; Albin, T. J.; Esser-Kahn, A. P.; Davies, D. H.; Samuel, J. E.; Felgner, P. L.; Gregory, A. E. Subunit Vaccines Using TLR Triagonist Combination Adjuvants Provide Protection Against Coxiella Burnetii While Minimizing Reactogenic Responses. Front. Immunol.2021, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.653092.

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Weiss, A. M.; Macke, N.; Zhang, Y.; Calvino, C.;Esser-Kahn, A. P.; Rowan, S. J. In Vitro and in Vivo Analyses of the Effects of Source, Length, and Charge on the Cytotoxicity and Immunocompatibility of Cellulose Nanocrystals. ACS Biomater. Sci. Eng.2021, 7(4), 1450–1461. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c01618.

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Kimani, F. W.; Ajit, J.; Galluppi, A.; Manna, S.; Howitz, W. J.; Tang, S.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Receptor–Ligand Kinetics Influence the Mechanism of Action of Covalently Linked TLR Ligands. ACSChem. Biol.2021, 16(2), 380–388. https://doi.org/10.1021/acschembio.0c00924.

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Maiti, S.; Manna, S.; Banahene, N.; Pham, L.; Liang, Z.; Wang, J.; Xu, Y.; Bettinger, R.; Zientko, J.; Esser‐Kahn, A. P.; Du, W. From Glucose to Polymers: A Continuous Chemoenzymatic Process. Angewandte Chemie2020, 132(43), 19105–19109. https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202006468.

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Moser, B. A.; Steinhardt, R. C.; Escalante-Buendia, Y.; Boltz, D. A.; Barker, K. M.; Cassaidy, B. J.; Rosenberger, M. G.; Yoo, S.; McGonnigal, B. G.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Increased Vaccine Tolerability and Protection via NF-ΚB Modulation. Science Advances2020, 6(37), eaaz8700. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz8700.

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Moser, B. A.; Escalante-Buendia, Y.; Steinhardt, R. C.; Rosenberger, M. G.; Cassaidy, B. J.; Naorem, N.; Chon, A. C.; Nguyen, M. H.; Tran, N. T.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Small Molecule NF-ΚB Inhibitors as Immune Potentiators for Enhancement of Vaccine Adjuvants. Front Immunol 2020, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.511513.

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Gilkes, A. P.; Albin, T. J.; Manna, S.; Supnet, M.; Ruiz, S.; Tom, J.; Badten, A. J.; Jain, A.; Nakajima, R.; Felgner, J.; Davies, D. H.; Stetkevich, S. A.; Zlotnik, A.; Pearlman, E.; Nalca, A.; Felgner, P. L.; Esser-Kahn, A. P.; Burkhardt, A. M. Tuning Subunit Vaccines with Novel TLR Triagonist Adjuvants to Generate Protective Immune Responses against Coxiella Burnetii. The Journal of Immunology 2019. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.1900991.

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Albin, T. J.; Tom, J. K.; Manna, S.; Gilkes, A.P.; Stetkevich, S. A.; Katz, B. B.; Supnet, M.; Felgner, J.; Jain, A.; Nakajima, R.; Jasinskas, A.; Zlotnik, A.; Pearlman, E.; Davies, D. H.; Felgner, P. L.; Burkhardt, A. M.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Linked Toll-Like Receptor Triagonists Stimulate Distinct, Combination-Dependent Innate Immune Responses. ACS Cent. Sci.2019, 5(7), 1137–1145. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.8b00823.

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Wang, Z.; Ayarza, J.; Esser‐Kahn, A. P. Mechanically Initiated Bulk-Scale Free-Radical Polymerization. Angewandte Chemie International Edition2019, 58(35), 12023–12026. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201903956.

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Kimani, F.; Kim, S.-M.; Steinhardt, R.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Correlating the Structure and Reactivity of a Contact Allergen, DNCB, and Its Analogs to Sensitization Potential. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry2019, 27(13), 2985–2990. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmc.2019.05.017.

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Tom, J. K.; Albin, T. J.; Manna, S.; Moser, B. A.; Steinhardt, R. C.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Applications of Immunomodulatory Immune Synergies to Adjuvant Discovery and Vaccine Development. Trends in Biotechnology2019, 37(4), 373–388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2018.10.004.

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Maiti, S.; Manna, S.; Shen, J.; Esser-Kahn, A. P.; Du, W. Mitigation of Hydrophobicity-Induced Immunotoxicity by Sugar Poly(Orthoesters). J. Am. Chem. Soc.2019, 141(11), 4510–4514. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.8b12205.

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Brubaker, K. S.; Kleiman, M.; Hernandez, L.; Bhattacharjee, A.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Structural Remodeling of Polymeric Material via Diffusion Controlled Polymerization and Chain Scission. Chem. Mater.2018, 30(22), 8126–8133. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.8b02293.

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Mohapatra, H.; Ayarza, J.; Sanders, E. C.; Scheuermann, A. M.;Griffin, P. J.; Esser‐Kahn, A. P. Ultrasound Promoted Step-Growth Polymerization and Polymer Crosslinking Via Copper Catalyzed Azide–Alkyne “Click” Reaction. Angewandte Chemie2018, 130(35), 11378–11382 https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201804451

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Manna, S.; Howitz, W. J.; Oldenhuis, N. J.; Eldredge, A. C.; Shen, J.; Nihesh, F. N.; Lodoen, M. B.; Guan, Z.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Immunomodulation of the NLRP3 Inflammasome through Structure-Based Activator Design and Functional Regulation via Lysosomal Rupture. ACS Cent. Sci. 2018, 4 (8), 982–995. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.8b00218

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Ignacio, B. J.; Albin, T. J.; Esser-Kahn, A. P.; Verdoes, M. Toll-like Receptor Agonist Conjugation: A Chemical Perspective. Bioconjug. Chem. 2018, 29 (3), 587–603.https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.7b00808

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Brubaker, K.; Garewal, A.; Steinhardt, R. C.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Bio-Inspired Counter-Current Multiplier for Enrichment of Solutes. Nature Communications 2018, 9 (1), 736. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03052-y

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Lybaert, L.; Ryu, K. A.; Nuhn, L.; De Rycke, R.; De Wever, O.;Chon, A. C.; Esser-Kahn, A. P.; De Geest, B. G. Cancer Cell Lysate Entrapment in CaCO3 Engineered with Polymeric TLR-Agonists: Immune-Modulating Microparticles in View of Personalized Antitumor Vaccination. Chemistry of Materials 2017, 29(10), 4209–4217. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.6b05062

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Lybaert, L.; Ryu, K. A.; De Rycke, R.; Chon, A. C.; De Wever, O.; Vermaelen, K. Y.; Esser-Kahn, A.; De Geest, B. G. Polyelectrolyte-Enrobed Cancer Cells in View of Personalized Immune-Therapy. Adv Sci (Weinh)2017, 4(6), 1700050. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.201700050

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Steinhardt, R. C.; Steeves, T. M.; Wallace, B. M.; Moser, B.; Fishman, D. A.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Photothermal Nanoparticle Initiation Enables Radical Polymerization and Yields Unique, Uniform Microfibers with Broad Spectrum Light. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces2017, 9(44), 39034–39039. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b12230

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Steinhardt, R.; Hiew, S. C.; Mohapatra, H.; Nguyen, D.; Oh, Z.; Truong, R.;Esser-Kahn, A. Cooperative CO2 Absorption Isotherms from a Bifunctional Guanidine and Bifunctional Alcohol. ACS Cent. Sci.2017, 3(12), 1271–1275. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.7b00418

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Ryu, K. A.; McGonnigal, B.; Moore, T.; Kargupta, T.; Mancini, R. J.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Light Guided In-Vivo Activation of Innate Immune Cells with Photocaged TLR 2/6 Agonist. Scientific Reports 2017, 7 (1), 8074. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-08520-x

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Moser, B. A.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. A Photoactivatable Innate Immune Receptor for Optogenetic Inflammation. ACS Chem. Biol. 2017, 12 (2), 347 - 350.   https://doi.org/10.1021/acschembio.6b01012

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Ryu, K. A.; Slowinska, K.; Moore, T.; Esser-Kahn, A. Immune Response Modulation of Conjugated Agonists with Changing Linker Length. ACS Chem. Biol. 2016, 11 (12), 3347–3352.   https://doi.org/10.1021/acschembio.6b00895

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Mohapatra, H., Kleiman, M. & Esser-Kahn, A. P. Mechanically controlled radical polymerization initiated by ultrasound. Nat Chem 9, 135–139 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2633

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Nguyen, D. T., Kleiman, M, Esser-Kahn, A. P. Solvent Effects on the Photothermal Regeneration of CO2 in Monoethanolamine Nanofluids ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2015, 7 (46)   https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5b08151

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Tom, J. K.; Dotsey, E. Y.; Wong, H. Y.; Stutts, L.; Moore, T.; Davies, D. H.; Felgner, P. L.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Modulation of Innate Immune Responses via Covalently Linked TLR Agonists, ACS Cent. Sci. 2015, 1 (8), 439. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.5b00274

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Geoffrey M. Lynn, Richard Laga, Patricia A. Darrah, Andrew S. Ishizuka, Alexandra J. Balaci, Andres E. Dulcey, Michal Pechar, Robert Pola, Michael Y. Gerner, Ayako Yamomoto, Connor R. Buechler, Kylie M. Quinn, Margery G. Smelkinson, Ondrej Vanek, Ryan Cawood, Thomas Hills, Olga Vasalatiy, Kathrin Kastenmuller, Joseph R. Francica, Lalisa Stutts, Janine K. Tom, Keun Ah Ryu, Aaron P. Esser-Kahn, Tomas Etrych, Kerry D. Fisher, Leonard W. Seymour, and Robert A. Seder. Characterizing the physicochemical properties of TLR agonist delivery that enhance vaccine immunogenicity. Nat Biotech 2015, 33 (11), 1201.  https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.3371

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Kuo, C.-C.; Li, Y.; Nguyen, D.; Buchsbaum, S.; Innes, L.; Esser-Kahn, A. P.; Valdevit, L.; Sun, L.; Siwy, Z.; Dennin, M. Macroscopic strain controlled ion current in an elastomeric microchannel Journal of Applied Physics 2015, 117 (17), 174904.   https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4919353

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Kleiman, M, Brubaker, K. Nguyen, D. T., Esser-Kahn, A. P. Bio-inspired Morphogenesis Using Microvascular Networks and Reaction-Diffusion, (2015) Chem. Mater. 2015, 27 (13), 4871. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.5b01947

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Rock J. Mancini, Lalisa Stutts, Aaron P. Esser-Kahn. Controlling the Origins of Inflammation with a Photoactive Lipopeptide Immunopotentiator, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54 (20), 5962. Selected as Hot Paper. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201500416

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Nguyen, D. T., Kleiman, M, Esser-Kahn, A. P. Bio-inspired Microvascular Exchangers Employing Circular Packing – Synthetic Rete Mirabile, (2014) Mater. Horiz. 2014, 1 (6), 602-607.   https://doi.org/10.1039/C4MH00120F

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Ryu, K. A., Stutts, L., Tom, J. K., Mancini, R. J., and Esser-Kahn, A. P. Stimulation of Innate Immune Cells by Light-Activated TLR7/8 Agonists J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136 (31), 10823. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja412314j

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Nguyen, D. T., Truong, R., Lee, R., Goetz, S. A., and Esser-Kahn, A. P. Photothermal Release of CO2 from Capture Solutions Using Nanoparticles Energy & Environmental Science 7, no. 8 (2014): 2603–2607. https://doi.org/10.1039/C4EE01047G

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Nguyen, D. T., Kleiman, M., Ryu, K. A., Hiew, S., Brubaker, K., Mughnetsyan, R., Truong, R., Dolan, B., Tackett, E., and Esser-Kahn, A. P. Three-Dimensional Conformal Coatings through the Entrapment of Polymer Membrane Precursors ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 6, no. 4 2014: 2830–2835. https://doi.org/10.1021/am4053943

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Mancini, R. J., Stutts, L., Ryu, K. A., Tom, J. K., and Esser-Kahn, A. P. Directing the Immune System with Chemical Compounds ACS Chemical Biology 9, no. 5 2014: 1075–1085. https://doi.org/10.1021/cb500079s

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Mancini, R. J, J. K. Tom L. Stutts, Esser-Kahn, A. P. Covalently Coupled Immuno-stimulant Heterodimers. Angew. Chem. 2014, 126, 193. https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.201306551

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Tom, J. K.; Mancini, R. J.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Covalent modification of cell surfaces with TLR agonists improves & directs immune stimulation Chem. Commun. (Camb.) 2013, 49, 9618.   https://doi.org/10.1039/C3CC45468A

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Nguyen, D. T., Leho, Y. T. & Esser-Kahn, A. P. The Effect of Membrane Thickness on a Microvascular Gas Exchange Unit. Advanced Functional Materials 2013, 23 (1), 100. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201201334

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Nguyen, D. T., Leho, Y. T. & Esser-Kahn, A. P. A Three-Dimensional Microvascular Gas Exchange Unit for Carbon Dioxide Capture. Lab on a Chip 2012, 12, 1246-1250. https://doi.org/10.1039/C2LC00033D

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Dong, H.; Esser-Kahn, A. P.; Thakre, P. R.; Patrick, J. F.; Sottos, N. R.; White, S. R.; Moore, J. S. Chemical Treatment of Poly(lactic acid) Fibers to Enhance the Rate of Thermal Depolymerization ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2011), 4, 503–509.

https://doi.org/10.1021/am2010042

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Esser-Kahn, A.P.;* Odom, S.A.;* Sottos, N.R.; White, S. R.; Moore, J.S. Triggered Release from Polymer Capsules. Macromolecules (2011), 44, 5539-5553.    https://doi.org/10.1021/ma201014n

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A. P. Esser-Kahn, P. R. Thakre, H. Dong, J. F. Patrick, N. R. Sottos, J. S. Moore, S. R. White Three-Dimensional Microvascular Fiber-Reinforced Composites Adv. Mat. (2011), 23, 3654–3658. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201100933

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L. S. Witus, T. Moore, B. W. Thuronyi, A. P. Esser-Kahn, R. A. Scheck, A. T. Iavarone, and M. B. Francis. Identification of Highly Reactive Sequences For PLP-Mediated Bioconjugation Using a Combinatorial Peptide Library J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2010), 132, 16812-16817.  

https://doi.org/10.1021/ja105429n

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A. P. Esser-Kahn, V. Trang, M. B. Francis, Incorporation of Anti-Freeze Proteins into Polymer Coatings Using Site-Selective Bioconjugation J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2010), 132, 13264-13269. 

https://doi.org/10.1021/ja103038p

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A. P. Esser-Kahn, N. R. Sottos, S. R. White, J. S. Moore, Programmable Microcapsules from Self-Immolative Polymers J. Am. Chem. Soc (2010), 132, 10266-10268. Selected for Faculty of 1000. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja104812p

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A. P. Esser-Kahn, A. T. Iavarone, M. B. Francis, Metallothionein-Crosslinked Hydrogels for the Selective Removal of Heavy Metals from Water, J. Am. Chem. Soc (2008), 130, 15820-15822. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja807095r

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A. P. Esser-Kahn, M. B. Francis, Protein-Crosslinked Polymeric Materials Through Site-Selective Bioconjugation Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. (2008) 47, 375-378. Selected as Hot Paper. https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.200705564

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J. M. Hooker, A. P. Esser-Kahn, M. B. Francis. Modification of Aniline Containing Proteins Using an Oxidative Coupling Strategy J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2006), 128, 15558–15559. 

https://doi.org/10.1021/ja064088d

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J. M. Gilmore,† R. A. Scheck,† A. P. Esser-Kahn, N. S. Joshi, M. B. Francis, N-Terminal Protein Modification through a Biomimetic Transamination Reaction Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. (2006), 45, 5307-5311.   https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.200600368

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