Over the past decade, diagnostics and therapeutics research has evolved
towards the use of more specific and targeted approaches. A most profound impact
has been observed in the nanotechnology sectors, where an explosion in directing
molecules to specific biomarkers has illustrated great potential not only in detection
but also in targeted therapy. As some of the most common cell-surface ligands, carbohydrates
and glyco-conjugates are known to play crucial roles in many medicinally important
physiological processes, including inflammatory and immunological responses, tumor
metastasis, cell-cell signaling, apoptosis, cell adhesion, bacterial and viral recognition,
and anticoagulation. Glyco-nanotechnology, the interfacing of glycoscience and nanotechnology,
is an exciting new field to translate basic discoveries into important clinical
applications.
This book describes current progress in the glyco-nanotechnology field.
It will provide the readers with knowledge of the current status of glyco-nanotechnology
research and kindle additional interests in this field. There are tremendous opportunities
in biomedical applications of glyconanomaterials and we have just begun to uncover
them. ISBN: 978-0-8412-2688-3