• Diagnostics >

Sugar Substrates For Targeted-Drug Delivery

Background:
The National Cancer Institute's Nanobiology Program is seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop, evaluate, or commercialize the synthesis of UDP derivatives of C2 modified galactose for use as donor substrates for glycosyltransferases.

Technology:
The delivery of drugs to a specific site of action has presented researchers with significant challenges.  This invention describes a new class of compounds that can be used as carbohydrate substrates having numerous diagnostic and therapeutic applications.  Specifically, the invention describes methods and compositions for making functionalized sugars comprising a sugar nucleotide and one or more functional groups.

Glycans can be classified as linear or branched sugars.  Eukaryotic cells express several classes of oligosaccharides attached to proteins or lipids. Animal glycans can be N-linked via beta-GlcNAc to Asparagine (N-glycans), O-linked via UDP-GalNAc to Serine/Threonine (O-glycans), or can connect the carboxyl end of a protein to a phosphatidylinositol unit (GPI-anchors) via a common core glycan structure. Thus, there is potential to develop carbohydrate substrates comprising bioactive agents that can be used to produce glycoconjugates carrying sugar moieties with bioactive agents. Such glycoconjugates have many therapeutic and diagnostic uses, e.g. in labeling or targeted delivery.  Further, such glycoconjugates can be used in the assembly of bio-nanoparticles to develop targeted-drug delivery systems, toxins for antibody-based cancer therapies, or contrast agents for medical uses such as magnetic resonance imaging. 

Further R&D Needed: 

• Preparation of new sugar nucleotides by this method
• Demonstrate application of these functionalized carbohydrates to cancer therapeutics and diagnostics.

• Ability to produce therapeutic glycoconjugates for targeted-drug delivery and  antibody-based cancer therapies
• Ability to produce diagnostics for labeling
• Potential to assemble bio-nanoparticles and develop contrast agents

This opportunity is also listed under the following categories:

• Therapeutics