Glycobiology, Lipids & Metabolic Disorders

Glycoimmunology

Carbohydrates were very important in the early history of immunology in describing the identity of antigens which are recognized by antibodies. So the ability of these antibodies to uniquely recognize glycans and carbohydrate related molecules was exploited in studies defining the size of the antigen-binding site. Numerous carbohydrate-binding proteins, or lectins, have been identified on the surfaces of immune cells which intensify the importance of carbohydrates in both innate and adaptive immune responses in development of modern vaccines and immunological therapeutics. Recently glycobiologists and immunologists are now collaborating extensively to explore this crucial field in the area of immunobiology.