Carbohydrates in Diseases

The focus of the research in the Institute is to discover the role that carbohydrates play in diseases and with that knowledge to develop new drugs and vaccines which will interfere with the biological process of disease. Complex carbohydrates (glycans) are known to be involved in diseases such as cancer, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, brain disorders, and infectious diseases such as cholera, tuberculosis, melioidosis and malaria. Glycans interact with glycan-binding proteins in normal and disease states; the study of these glycans as well as the glycan-binding proteins is the underlying theme of the research in the Institute.

Using a multi-disciplinary approach, the research programs at the Institute have already achieved significant milestones - some examples:

• A research collaboration has been established with the Institut Pasteur to design, synthesise and test new generation anti-influenza drugs.
• An infectious disease program was advanced to a lead-optimisation stage after sealing a licensing agreement with a biotech company.
• Significant progress has been achieved in understanding the role of carbohydrates in the metastatic spread of some cancers and the design of compounds that can halt the process.

The Institute has research projects (PDF 564k) under three broad programs:

• Mammalian Glycomics
• Microbial Glycomics
• Enabling Glycotechnology