The clinical impact of glycobiology: targeting selectins, Siglecs and mammalian glycans

Carbohydrates - namely glycans - decorate every cell in the human body and most secreted proteins. Advances in genomics, glycoproteomics and tools from chemical biology have made glycobiology more tractable and understandable. Dysregulated glycosylation plays a major role in disease processes from immune evasion to cognition, sparking research that aims to target glycans for therapeutic benefit. The field is now poised for a boom in drug development. As a harbinger of this activity, glycobiology has already produced several drugs that have improved human health or are currently being translated to the clinic. Focusing on three areas - selectins, Siglecs and glycan-targeted antibodies - this Review aims to tell the stories behind therapies inspired by glycans and to outline how the lessons learned from these approaches are paving the way for future glycobiology-focused therapeutics.

Automated summary

Carbohydrates, specifically glycans, decorate every cell in the human body and most secreted proteins. Advances in genomics, glycoproteomics, and tools from chemical biology have made glycobiology more understandable and tractable. Dysregulated glycosylation plays a major role in disease processes, sparking research targeting glycans for therapeutic benefit and leading to a boom in drug development in the field.