SCIENCE OF SUGARS
Malfunctions in complex sugar production play fundamental roles in many diseases
Sugars play a critical role in both normal biological processes and disease
Sugars, together with DNA and proteins, play a critical role in regulating biological processes and pathways throughout the human body. This makes sugars a fertile field for research and provides significant opportunity for discovering improved treatments for many diseases.
To date, science has just begun to appreciate the profound role that sugars play in human biology. However, what we have learned so far is clear:
- The manner in which a cell produces sugars is critical for normal cell function and communication
- Malfunctions in complex sugar production (and the resulting abnormalities in sugar structures) play fundamental roles in many diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammatory disease and viral infection
- By manipulating complex sugars, one can modify disease pathways
Understanding sugars’ chemical sequences — the pathway to developing therapeutics
Sugars are one of the least understood and appreciated biomolecules in human biology. A thorough understanding of sugars’ roles in biology has remained elusive due to the inability of scientists to precisely characterize or chemically analyze sugars’ chemical compositions.
Without a comprehensive understanding of sugars’ chemical sequences, it is impossible to effectively correlate sugars’ structures to biologic activity and develop therapeutics.
Why are sugars difficult to study? Learn More »