(h.c) is currently a Distinguished Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine[1] and Co-Director of the Glycobiology Research and Training Center[2] at the University of California, San Diego.
These cell lines continue to be used by hundreds of laboratories worldwide and they serve as the benchmark for analysis of proteoglycan deficiencies in other systems, including zebrafish, fruit flies, nematodes and mice.
[3] Since 1996, Esko has focused on the development of mutant mice bearing conditional mutations in enzymes involved in heparan sulfate assembly.
Prof. Esko has developed mass spectrometry methods for identification of proteoglycan core proteins and for characterizing the fine structure of the heparan sulfate chains.
He developed a carrier that exploits proteoglycans for delivery of high molecular weight cargo and used it for enzyme replacement therapy for lysosomal storage disorders.