Research has shown that the interactions between cancer cells and carbohydrates can play crucial roles in the survival, growth, invasion and metastasis of cancer cells making this interaction a target in cancer studies. Similarly, there is enough evidence supporting the fact that lectins (carbohydrate binding proteins) are overexpressed on cancer cells and the interactions between lectins and carbohydrates on the cell surface can contribute in cancer growth and development. However, studies to understand these interactions in finer details have been hampered by a lack of quantitative tools. In this presentation, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticle based technology immobilized with carbohydrates (glyco-nanoparticles) has been developed as a tool to isolated and purify endogenous lectins . Good specificity has been achieved in endogenous lectin isolation from the cancer cells using glyco-nanoparticles raising the possibility of discovering novel lectins endogenous to cancer cells. This preliminary work indicates that carbohydrate functionalized magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles can be a new addition to the cancer research toolbox which could facilitate the further exploration of the role carbohydrate recognition plays in tumor development.

Identification, profiling, and purification of lectins from cancer cells using magnetic glyconanoparticles

248th National Meeting (2014)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.