Recent Advances In Biotechnology Recent Progress In Glycotherapy

Carbohydrates (monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides) exist naturally in free from and as components of other macromolecules (nucleic acids, proteins and lipids). Glycotherapy refers to this use of carbohydrates or glycoengineered macromolecules in fighting life-threatening diseases. Although glycotherapy is a relatively new and limited field of pharmacology, significant progress has been made in recent years in academia and the pharmaceutical industry facilitated by advances in enzymology and recombinant DNA technologies. Consequently, carbohydrate containing biologics are now used in therapeutic regimens. This volume provides a summary of the progress made in developing therapeutic solutions using glycoengineering techniques. Topics covered in this volume include the development of vaccines and antibodies against tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens for cancer treatment, the use of glycan for viral inhibition, glycoPEGylation, hyaluronic acid conjugation, and protein modification and conjugation for increasing therapeutic index using recombinant and chemoenzymatic approaches. The volume is essential reading for biochemists, pharmacologists and R&D professionals interested in glycotherapy.

This new volume, Nanocarriers for Brain Targeting: Principles and Applications, covers recent research on brain physiology and the development of drug delivery systems. It explores a diverse variety of strategies that can be employed to achieve drug targeting to the brain. The nanocarriers that are discussed include nanoparticles, vesicular carriers, carriers having carbon as a core constituent, dispersed systems, and more. The inherent anatomy and physiology of the brain renders it different from other organs. The past few decades have witnessed significant research on brain ailments in response to a majority of hospitalizations that occur due to age-related central nervous system disorders. The prevalence of diverse diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, HIV-dementia, etc., affect about 1.5 billion people globally, which is further anticipated to reach 1.9 billion by the year 2020. Nanocarriers for drug delivery to the brain are seen as one of the answers to this growing problem.

A new focus on glycoscience, a field that explores the structures and functions of sugars, promises great advances in areas as diverse as medicine, energy generation, and materials science, this report finds. Glycans-also known as carbohydrates, saccharides, or simply as sugars-play central roles in many biological processes and have properties useful in an array of applications. However, glycans have received little attention from the research community due to a lack of tools to probe their often complex structures and properties. Transforming Glycoscience: A Roadmap for the Future presents a roadmap for transforming glycoscience from a field dominated by specialists to a widely studied and integrated discipline, which could lead to a more complete understanding of glycans and help solve key challenges in diverse fields.

Glycans and Glycosaminoglycans as Clinical Biomarkers and Therapeutics - Part B, Volume 163 in the Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science series, provides informative monographs on a variety of research topics related to Glycans and glycosaminoglycans as clinical biomarkers and therapeutics. Topics in this update include an Overview of Fugal Glycan-based Therapeutics, Heparin: An Essential Drug for Modern Medicine, Low Molecular Weight Heparins and Their Clinical Applications, The Clinical Use of Fondaparinux: A Synthetic Heparin Pentasaccharid, Heparinoids as Clinically Used Drugs, Marine Glycan-Derived Therapeutics in China, Efficacy of Heparinoid PSS in Treating Cardiovascular and other Diseases—30 Years Clinical Applications in China, and more. Includes comprehensive coverage of molecular biology Presents ample use of tables, diagrams, schemata and color figures to enhance the reader's ability to rapidly grasp the information provided Contains contributions from renowned experts in the field

Glycobiology is an emerging field of studying glycans (sugars) and glycoconjugates that are essentially involved in almost all biological processes, from fine-tuning glycoprotein function to protein-protein interactions, signaling, immune response, host-pathogen interactions, etc. However, due to structural complexity of glycans and analytical challenges this exciting field was lagging behind other areas of biology. With technological advancements growing number of glycans’ functions are being discovered and the study of glycans is becoming a cutting-edge discipline in basic and clinical research. Despite recent developments in glycobiology field, many aspects of glycosylation process still remain unknown, both in a healthy human organism and in pathological states. Human glycome is dynamic and changes with physiological triggers, immune challenges and disease. Atypical glycosylation is consequently a subject of disease biomarker research, and a target for therapeutic interventions. On the other hand, properties of glycosylated biotherapeutics are predominantly determined by their glycans. The Role of Glycosylation in Health and Disease provides a comprehensive overview of types and functions of glycans in a healthy human organism as well as their role in pathophysiology of different diseases and efficiency of glycosylated biotherapeutics. Written by the experts in the field, this book aims to bring glycobiology field closer to students, researchers in life sciences and professionals in biopharmaceutical industry.

Protein Modificomics: From Modifications to Clinical Perspectives comprehensively deals with all of the most recent aspects of post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins, including discussions on diseases involving PTMs, such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's, X-linked spinal muscular atrophy-2, aneurysmal bone cyst, angelman syndrome and OFC10. The book also discusses the role PTMs play in plant physiology and the production of medicinally important primary and secondary metabolites. The understanding of PTMs in plants helps us enhance the production of these metabolites without greatly altering the genome, providing robust eukaryotic systems for the production and isolation of desired products without considerable downstream and isolation processes.

Proceedings of the Third Jenner International Glycoimmunology meeting held in Il Ciocco, Tuscany, Italy, October 11-14, 1994

This book presents in an easy-to-read format a summary of the important central aspects of microbial glycobiology, i.e. the study of carbohydrates as related to the biology of microorganisms. Microbial glycobiology represents a multidisciplinary and emerging area with implications for a range of basic and applied research fields, as well as having industrial, medical and biotechnological implications. Individual chapters provided by leading international scientists in the field yield insightful, concise and stimulating reviews Provides researchers with an overview and synthesis of the latest research Each chapter begins with a brief 200 word Summary/Abstract detailing the topic and focus of the chapter, as well as the concepts to be addressed Allows researchers to see at a glance what each chapter will cover Each chapter includes a Research Focus Box Identifies important problems that still need to be solved and areas that require further investigation

Fundamental Biomaterials: Polymers provides current information on findings and developments of biopolymers and their conversion from base materials to medical devices. Chapters analyze the types of polymers and discuss a range of biomedical applications. It is the first title in a three volume set, with each reviewing the most important and commonly used classes of biomaterials and providing comprehensive information on classification, materials properties, behavior, biocompatibility and applications. The book concludes with essential information on wear, lifetime prediction and cytotoxicity of biomaterials. This title will be of use to researchers and professionals in development stages, but will also help medical researchers understand and effectively communicate the requirements of a biomaterial for a specific application. Further, with the recent introduction of a number of interdisciplinary bio-related undergraduate and graduate programs, this book will be an appropriate reference volume for large number of students at undergraduate and post graduate levels. Provides current information on findings and developments of biopolymers and their conversion from base materials to medical devices Includes analyses of the types of polymers and a discussion of a range of biomedical applications Presents essential information on wear, lifetime prediction and cytotoxicity of biomaterials Explores both theoretical and practical aspects of polymers in biomaterials