Recent Developments in Synthetic Carbohydrate-Based Diagnostics, Vaccines, and Therapeutics

• Published in: Chemistry : a European journal Vol. 21; no. 30; pp. 10616 - 10628
• Main Authors: Fernández-Tejada, Alberto, Cañada, F. Javier, Jiménez-Barbero, Jesús
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 20.07.2015; WILEY‐VCH Verlag; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; carbohydrate chemistry; Carbohydrate Sequence; Carbohydrates; Carbohydrates - chemistry; Carbohydrates - pharmacology; Carbohydrates - therapeutic use; Cellular; chemical glycobiology; Chemistry; Construction; Diagnostic systems; Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; Drug Discovery - methods; Glycan; glycodiagnostics; Glycomics - methods; glycomimetics; Glycoproteins; Glycoproteins - chemistry; Glycoproteins - pharmacology; Glycoproteins - therapeutic use; Humans; Infectious diseases; Medical; Models, Molecular; Molecular Sequence Data; Neoplasms - prevention & control; therapeutic glycoproteins; Vaccines; Vaccines - chemistry; Vaccines - pharmacology; Vaccines - therapeutic use; carbohydrate chemistry; glycomimetics; chemical glycobiology; glycodiagnostics; therapeutic glycoproteins; vaccines
• ISSN: 0947-6539; 1521-3765; 1521-3765
• DOI: 10.1002/chem.201500831

Glycans are everywhere in biological systems, being involved in many cellular events with important implications for medical purposes. Building upon a detailed understanding of the functional roles of carbohydrates in molecular recognition processes and disease states, glycans are increasingly being considered as key players in pharmacological research. On the basis of the important progress recently made in glycochemistry, glycobiology, and glycomedicine, we provide a complete overview of successful applications and future perspectives of carbohydrates in the biopharmaceutical and medical fields. This review highlights the development of carbohydrate‐based diagnostics, exemplified by glycan imaging techniques and microarray platforms, synthetic oligosaccharide vaccines against infectious diseases (e.g., HIV) and cancer, and finally carbohydrate‐derived therapeutics, including glycomimetic drugs and glycoproteins. Medicinal chemistry: On the basis of the important progress recently made in glycochemistry, glycobiology, and glycomedicine, a complete overview of successful applications and future perspectives of carbohydrates in the biopharmaceutical and medical fields (see graphic) is provided.