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Updated: Sep 27, 2025

Glycan Node Analysis: A Bottom-up Approach to Glycomics
Published on: May 22, 2016
Glycosaminoglycans in cancer therapy
Ronja Wieboldt1, Heinz Läubli1,2
1Laboratories for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are an important component of the tumor microenvironment (TME). GAGs can interact with a variety of binding partners and thereby influence cancer progression on multiple levels. GAGs can modulate growth factors and chemokine signaling, invasion, and metastasis formation. Moreover, GAGs are able to change the physical property of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Abnormalities in GAG abundance and structure (e.g., sulfation patterns and molecular weight) are found across various cancer types and show biomarker potential. Targeting GAGs, as well as the usage of GAGs and their mimetics, are promising approaches to interfere with cancer progression. In addition, GAGs can be used as drug and cytokine carriers to induce an antitumor response. In this review, we summarize the role of GAGs in cancer and the potential use of GAGs and GAG derivatives to target cancer.
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