Synthetic Lectins For Glycoprotein Recognition: towards the Identification and Classification of Cancer Associated Cell Lines

Aberrant glycosylation occurs during the onset of the cancer and glycosylation patterns can provide information about different cancer types and metastatic potential. The work described here focuses on the development of both selective and cross-reactive boronic acid based synthetic lectins for recognizing cancer associated glycans and glycoproteins. Specifically, 1) optimizing library design and screening conditions, 2) identifying selective hits for proof-of-concept glycoproteins, 3) investigating how selective hits bind their respective targets, and 4) developing a sensor array to classify healthy and cancerous cells are discussed. The use of synthetic lectins holds great potential for applications in cancer diagnosis