Artificial Glycoproteins as a Scaffold for Targeted Drug Therapy

To gain a better understanding of the factors that govern in vivo cellular recognition, artificial glycoproteins are created as biomimetic probes to study the influence of specific glycan assemblies to biodistribution. The principle aim of this Review is to present pioneering research that has driven artificial glycoprotein ‐based targeting and subsequent adaptations with potential therapeutic applications. AbstractAkin to a cellular “fingerprint,” the glycocalyx is a glycan‐enriched cellular coating that plays a crucial role in mediating cell‐to‐cell interactions. To gain a better understanding of the factors that govern in vivo recognition, artificial glycoproteins were initially created to probe changes made to the accumulation and biodistribution of specific glycan assemblies through biomimicry. As a result, the organ‐specific accumulation for a variety of glycoproteins decorated with simple and/or complex glycans was identified. Additionally, binding trends with regard to cancer cell selectivity were also investigated. To exploit the knowledge gained from these studies, numerous groups thus became engaged in developing targeted drug methodologies based on the use of artificial glycoproteins. This has either been done through adopting the glycoprotein scaffold as a drug carrier, or to directly glycosy late therapeutic proteins/enzymes to localize their biological activity. The principle aim of this Review is to present the foundational research that has driv...
Source: Small - Category: Nanotechnology Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research