Perspectives on Anti-Glycan Antibodies Gleaned from Development of a Community Resource Database

Antibodies are used extensively for a wide range of basic research and clinical applications. While an abundant and diverse collection of antibodies to protein antigens have been developed, good monoclonal antibodies to carbohydrates are much less common. Moreover, it can be difficult to determine if a particular antibody has the appropriate specificity, which antibody is best suited for a given application, and where to obtain that antibody. Herein, we provide an overview of the current state of the field, discuss challenges for selecting and using antiglycan antibodies, and summarize deficiencies in the existing repertoire of antiglycan antibodies. This perspective was enabled by collecting information from publications, databases, and commercial entities and assembling it into a single database, referred to as the Database of Anti-Glycan Reagents (DAGR). DAGR is a publicly available, comprehensive resource for anticarbohydrate antibodies, their applications, availability, and quality.