GlycoPol™ is a novel glycopolymer technology based on polymers containing a diverse array of carbohydrates that offers the potential to target biological therapeutics, including proteins, peptides, oligonucleotides and nanoparticles, to carbohydrate receptors on specific cells and tissues.
Tissue microarray studies with normal and inflamed human tissues demonstrate specific and selective binding of GlycoPols™ depending on the sugar composition and chain length of the glycopolymer.
The pharmacokinetics, pharmacodistribution, solubility, stability, enhancement of effector function and receptor binding of proteins are all influenced by their carbohydrate composition. Depending on the nature of the sugars on the glycopolymer, GlycoPol™ can be used to effect drug targeting to specific sugar binding sites on tissues.
GlycoPol™ also offers the opportunity to optimise the biological activity of a molecule, for example, it can be used to engineer the carbohydrate content of a biomolecule or to introduce carbohydrate on to molecules that are unglycosylated.
