WSA Hosts Annual Anita B. Roberts Lecture

Sweetening the Pot While Empowering Others

Kelly Ten Hagen’s Legacy of Scientific Discovery, Mentorship, and Advocacy Is on Tap at the Annual Anita B. Roberts Lecture

BY DAPHNE KNUDSEN-PALMER, NCI

From decoding molecular sugar codes to shaping the next generation of scientists, Kelly Ten Hagen, associate scientific director at NIDCR, exemplifies the power of combining rigorous science with mentor-focused leadership. And given her longstanding leadership in the Women Scientists Advisors (WSA), it is no surprise that Ten Hagen has been received the honor of being the speaker this fall in the prestigious annual Anita B. Roberts Lecture Series—a named lecture that celebrates NIH women scientists.

A trailblazer in glycobiology

Ten Hagen is a senior investigator and chief of the Developmental Glycobiology Section. Her research has made fundamental discoveries towards understanding the roles of O-glycosylation. A post-translational modification involving the attachment of a sugar to the oxygen atom in the amino acid serine or threonine, the highly conserved process of O-glycosylation affects a wide variety of cell biological processes and diseases.

After completing her doctoral studies in DNA replication at Stanford University (Stanford, California), Ten Hagen jumped straight into an assistant professorship at the University of Rochester (Rochester, New York). She began critical research on the biochemistry of one common type of protein glycosylation, the addition of N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc), to understand the relationship between these modified proteins and their transferases, GalNAc-Ts, for short. Ten Hagen was among the first in demonstrating that some of these transferases required glycopeptides as substrates, thus leading to the understanding that many GalNAc-Ts must be involved in densely modified targets.

Once at NIH, Ten Hagen expanded her research to ask what roles O-glycosylation might play in development. Key studies in the fruit fly (Drosophila) revealed that O-glycosylation is essential for viability, playing critical roles in secretion, cell adhesion, formation of the extracellular matrix, and in modulating furin cleavage.

After highlighting the importance of O-glycosylation in mammalian salivary gland development, oral microbiome stability, and chronic kidney disease, among others, Ten Hagen investigated the effect of O-glycosylation on SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility, in particular investigating how O-glycosylation may affect furin cleavage of the spike protein. The breadth of these discoveries shows Ten Hagen’s tenacity and dedication to her field.

A force for mentorship

The legacy of Ten Hagen’s accomplishments reaches far beyond these key scientific findings. Along with having received many professional rewards and accolades, including the 2023 Rosalind Kornfeld Award for Lifetime Achievement in Glycobiology, her mentees praise her dedication to both scientific and professional growth through mentorship.

“She always nudged us to be the best versions of ourselves, through whatever self-doubt or experimental hiccup we were experiencing in the moment,” said Duy Tran, scientific information officer at NEI. Tran is among many successful trainees that have praised the dedicated mentorship of Ten Hagen. These endorsements are plentiful.

Hayley Reynolds, a former postbaccalaureate member of the Ten Hagen lab (and now a MD-PhD candidate at University of Utah [Salt Lake City, Utah]) said she is not at all surprised to hear of her previous mentor being selected for the annual Roberts lecture series. “Not only is she a leader within her lab and institute, but she has also put significant effort into championing women in science everywhere,” Reynolds said, adding that Ten Hagen works tirelessly to combat sexual harassment and sex discrimination within the NIH and beyond. “Dr. Ten Hagen is someone I deeply respect and look up to as a role model, and I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to work [with] her.”

Ten Hagen “exemplifies integrity, generosity, and intellectual curiosity,” said Alisa Lee, who now works in Boston Children’s Hospital Department of Dentistry (Boston) and is an instructor of developmental biology at Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts). “What stood out most to me was her strength in leading with both clarity and compassion. Kelly is not only a brilliant collaborator and researcher, but also someone who empowers those around her to reach their full potential.”

Similar sentiments were echoed by former postdoctoral researcher Zulfeqhar Syed, who is now director of the NHLBI Electron Microscopy Core. “She regularly took the time to offer thoughtful feedback and cared deeply about her lab members, not just as scientists but as individuals,” said Syed. “She took pride in seeing us grow and move forward.”