As bioinformatic molecules, carbohydrate conjugates participate in the regulation of various life activities in organisms and ensure their orderly progress. CD BioGlyco is committed to systematic research on structure analysis, biosynthesis, and biological functions of carbohydrate conjugates, and we provide our clients the preparation of carbohydrate conjugates for receptor targeting.

Clinical Importance

Carbohydrate conjugates are carbohydrates covalently linked to other biological molecules such as amino acids, proteins, lipids, and other small molecules to generate peptidoglycans, glycopeptides, glycoproteins, glycolipids, lipopolysaccharides, and glycosides. They play important roles in cell-cell interactions and cell-matrix interactions, which makes them have the potential to be targeted receptors.

In recent years, selective targeting of anticancer drugs to cancer cells by using carbohydrate conjugates has garnered a great deal of interest. This strategy was inspired by the wide clinical application of 2-deoxy-2-(¹⁸F) fluoro-D-glucose (¹⁸F-FDG), a radiolabeled glucose analogue that has been used to visualize tumors and their metastasis. The synthesis and evaluation of carbohydrate-conjugated anticancer drugs have developed markedly in recent years. Glufosfamide was the first carbohydrate conjugate explicitly designed and evaluated as cancer targeting cytotoxic compound. Currently, many other drugs are under development.

Fig.1 Examples of glycoconjugates of DNA alkyators. (Emilia, 2013)

Synthesis Services

CD BioGlyco has established a plethora of strategies during the last years to obtain carbohydrate conjugates using chemical synthesis, molecular biology, or a combination of these two methods. We mainly provide the following services:

• Synthesis of natural glycoconjugates. We selected protein synthesis and semi-synthesis as appropriate strategies to obtain well-defined glycoproteins. In addition, the use of enzymes for glycan remodeling and transferring glycans to proteins with monosaccharide precursors are also useful methods.
• Synthesis of neoglycoconjugates. We utilize active groups existing on glycans, such as alkenes, thiols, or activated esters introduced as part of a linker at the reducing end for connecting glycans to proteins. Cross-linkers also be used to generate carbohydrate conjugates.
• Synthesis of glycolipids and amphiphilic glycoconjugates. The key step in the strategies of synthesizing natural and unnatural glycolipids include glycosylation of hydroxyl groups of ceramides and glycerides or the formation of phosphodiesters with phosphopolysaccharides.

Applications

• The development of glycoconjugate anticancer agents
• Diagnosis and staging of many types of cancer
• Application in vaccine developments

Advantages of Us

• Leading synthetic technology around the world
• Multiple synthesis strategies are available
• Teamwork on a global level
• Detailed after-sales service

As a biotechnology company with professional experimental platforms in carbohydrate chemistry, CD BioGlyco is an authority in the large-scale generation of carbohydrates and drug conjugates. We have accumulated many years of experience in the synthetic carbohydrate industry. If you need our scientific assistance, please feel free to contact us.

Reference:

1. Emilia, C.; et al. Glucose conjugation for the specific targeting and treatment of cancer. Chem. Sci. 2013, 4(4):2319-2333.

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