From Tumor Biology to Therapeutic Design: Expert Insights from Vector Laboratories
Two Vector Laboratories scientists were recently featured in expert interviews with SelectScience at the AACR Annual Meeting 2026, covering glycosylation in cancer research and advances in bioconjugation for next-generation therapeutics.
Glycosylation: What Proteomics Alone Can’t Tell You
In the first interview, Erika Leonard, Director of R&D at Vector Laboratories, discusses how glycobiology is reshaping the way researchers approach cancer research. While proteomics captures what proteins are present, glycosylation patterns reveal how those proteins are modified — information that is critical for understanding the tumor microenvironment and identifying new targets for therapeutic discovery.
Erika’s work centers on validated lectins and glycan-binding tools that bring spatial resolution, reproducibility, and confidence to multiomic workflows. For researchers working in tissue-based or cell-based systems, glycan analysis adds a layer of biological context that standard protein detection methods miss.
Bioconjugation for Next-Generation Therapeutics
In the second interview, Matt Giese, Senior Field Application Scientist at Vector Laboratories, walks through how recent innovations in bioconjugation chemistry are giving researchers greater precision and control over conjugate structure and function. Matt draws on real customer examples spanning cancer vaccines, siRNA delivery, radiopharmaceuticals, cell therapy workflows, and multiplexed immunofluorescence to illustrate where end-to-end bioconjugation solutions are reducing development time and improving outcomes.
As therapeutic modalities grow in complexity, the chemistry connecting payloads to carriers becomes a critical variable. Vector’s approach to bioconjugation addresses that directly, from linker selection through conjugation optimization.
Tools and Expertise for Better Research Outcomes
Both interviews reflect the depth of scientific expertise Vector Laboratories brings to the fields of glycobiology, immunodetection, and bioconjugation—areas where reagent quality and application knowledge directly affect research outcomes.
Explore the tools behind this work:
