One of the major scopes of the project is to shed light on the “dark matter of the biological universe”, the glycans, recognized by Sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin (Ig)-like lectin 9 (Siglec-9) in inflammation and cancer. Siglec-9 regulates the innate and adaptive immune systems by recognizing sialic acids on the surface sialoglycans of its binding partners. These interactions have a role in many infectious diseases, inflammation, neurodegeneration, autoimmune diseases, and cancer, which makes the sialic acid–Siglec axis an emerging target to prevent or affect these diseases.

The project aims to unveil the multivalent Siglec-9 interactions and design novel inhibitors that block all Siglec-9-mediated interactions in inflammation and cancer. The designed inhibitors will serve as a starting point for the development of anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agents.