Glycan mimicry as a basis for novel anti-infective drugs

The idea of using carbohydrate-based drugs to prevent attachment of microbial pathogens to host tissues has been around for about three decades. This concept evolved from the observation that many pathogenic microbes bind to complex carbohydrate sequences on the surface of host cells. It stands to reason, therefore, that analogs of the carbohydrate sequences pathogens bind to could be used to competitively inhibit these interactions, thereby preventing microbial damage to the host. This article will summarize some of the recent advances in developing such carbohydrate-based anti-infective drugs.