Download Glycosaminoglycans in Cancer Biology

NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering
Research Project Write-up
Title of Project :
Glycosaminoglycans in cancer biology
Name of Supervisor :
Assoc Professor Lam Yulin
Contact Details:
[email protected]
Short Description
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are heterogeneous polysaccharides consisting of
repeating disaccharide units alternating between uronic acid and amino sugars. The
main classes include chondroitin sulfate, heparin sulfate, keratan sulfate and
hyaluronan; these sequences are subjected to various post translation modifications
such as sulfation and epimerization giving rise to structural motifs encoding
information important for the regulation of many biological process such as
morphogenesis, cancer metastasis and spinal cord injury. A pertinent issue to address
is whether these glycosaminoglycans employ a specific “sulfation code” to modulate
these physiological processes. In this light, chemical synthesis provides a platform for
the preparation of specifically-sulfated GAG fragments with well-defined structures,
enabling us to identify the structure activity relationship between different sulfation
patterns and how they affect various biological processes.
This project aims to generate sulfated GAGs for evaluation of their activities in
controlling cell proliferation and role in cancer development.