Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SweetAim (Selective glycoimmuno-targeting for cancer therapy)

Teaser

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and new therapies are still needed. The primary objective of this proposal is to design a novel cancer therapeutic approach and to address the challenges faced by the study of carbohydrates immune recognition. It is based on...

Summary

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and new therapies are still needed. The primary objective of this proposal is to design a novel cancer therapeutic approach and to address the challenges faced by the study of carbohydrates immune recognition. It is based on findings that some tumor-associated carbohydrates can be targeted for cancer therapy. We investigate the potential of robust effective targeting of tumor-carbohydrates with antibodies both in vitro and in vivo. This research is expected to provide tools for designing novel therapeutics, imaging and diagnostics for cancer and for other chronic inflammation-related diseases.

Work performed

We investigated carbohydrates as targets for antibody therapy in cancer. We explored the different factors that affect carbohydrate binding and recognition and developed several methods to improve antibody recognition and cancer killing potential both through passive therapy, as well as through active cancer vaccine design.

Final results

We have already published ten papers and submitted one patent related to the use of antibodies for cancer diagnostics and therapy. We expect other papers and additional patents to come up by the end of this project.

Website & more info

More info: http://www3.tau.ac.il/karavani/.