The chemistry and immunochemistry of blood group A, B, H, and Lewis antigens: Past, present and future

This article traces reseach on the chemistry and immunochemistry of blood group A, B, H, and Lewis antigens from early work on the identification of soluble sources of these antigens, through the elucidation of the structures of the carbohydrate epitopes responsible for these specificities, to recent work on exploring their possible use as cancer vaccines. The various approaches used in the isolation of oligosaccharides from mucins for use in structural studies are discussed, as are recent efforts in the chemical systhesis of blood group-active oligosaccharides.