Trevor Ung
Graduate Student
About Trevor
Hailing from the remote, snowy north known as Toronto, Canada, Trevor received a BASc in biomedical engineering from the University of Toronto in 2020. Seemingly unable to avoid frigid climates, he moved to Chicago to pursue a PhD in molecular engineering, co-advised by Aaron Esser-Kahn and Melody Swartz.
Trevor's previous work on drug delivery systems led him to the immunoengineering path, where he aims to study how the targeted delivery of vaccines can help improve their efficacy.
In his spare time, you may find Trevor biking along the Chicago waterfront, or playing ultimate frisbee at the nearest available field.
Education
BASc, Biomedical Systems Engineering, University of Toronto (2020)
Favorite Quote
“The difference between screwing around and science is writing it down.”
– Adam Savage, Mythbusters
Scientific Hero
Frederick Banting/Charles Best – co-discovery of insulin and public release of patent
Favorite Paper
The Danger Model: A Renewed Sense of Self;
Polly Matzinger
If you could be a piece of lab equipment, what would you be?
"LCMS – moves too slow, overly analytical, and frequently calibrated with caffeine"
Trevor's Research
Trevor is currently studying how cell-specific delivery of vaccines affects the generation of immune memory. His project aims to generate nanocarrier systems capable of targeting specific cell types, and to use these tools to analyze the immune response.
Lab Publications
Weiss, A. M., Lopez, M. A., Rosenberger, M. G., Kim, J. Y., Shen, J., Chen, Q., … Esser-Kahn, A. P. (2024). Identification of CDK4/6 Inhibitors as Small Molecule NLRP3 Inflammasome Activators that Facilitate IL-1β Secretion and T Cell Adjuvanticity. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 67(17), 14974–14985. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00516
Knight, H. R., Ketter, E., Ung, T., Weiss, A., Jainu Ajit, Chen, Q., … Esser-Kahn, A. (2024). High-throughput screen identifies non inflammatory small molecule inducers of trained immunity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(29). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2400413121
Ajit, J., Chen, Q., Ung, T., Rosenberger, M., Kim, J., Solanki, A., … Esser, A. P. (2024). β-glucan induced trained immunity enhances antibody levels in a vaccination model in mice. Preprint at BioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.11.588932
Ung, T., Rutledge, N. S., Weiss, A. M., Esser‐Kahn, A. P., & Deak, P. E. (2023). Cell-targeted vaccines: implications for adaptive immunity. Frontiers in Immunology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1221008
Esser-Kahn, A. P., & Ung, T. W. M. (2023). Identifying and targeting a subpopulation of dendritic cells with enhanced activation of adaptive responses - identifying first responders. The Journal of Immunology, 210(1_Supplement), 72.40–72.40. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.210.supp.72.40
Deak, P. E., Studnitzer, B., Ung, T. , Steinhardt, R., Swartz, M., & Esser-Kahn, A. 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
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