Diagnostics of aberrant cancer glycosylation signatures

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are much needed. All living cells are covered with a dense layer of sugar-coat that is altered in cancer. One of the hallmarks of cancer is the expression of aberrant cell surface glycosylation patterns compared to normal cells. Current antibody-based assays against cancer glycans are commonly utilized to monitor clinical response to therapy, however none is useful for early detection or diagnosis due to low sensitivity and specificity. We aim to develop cancer diagnostics based on signatures of carbohydrate-neoantigens. We developed a unique system to generate potent antibodies of high specificity and affinity against various cancer glycans. Such potent antibodies that recognize tumor-associated carbohydrate-neoantigens can potentially be used as novel cancer diagnostics. Such validated tools could be used to identify cancer at an early stage and also for optimizing therapy to patients of unique sugar-code signatures.