The Molecular Immunology of Complex Carbohydrates - 4 : The Expanding Landscape of Glycoscience

This book covers the expanding landscape of glycoscience over the past decade from the earlier books titled “The Molecular Immunology of Complex Carbohydrates 1, 2, and 3”. It aims to provide systematic and comprehensive reviews of the glycoscience field. In addition to the diverse roles of glycans in the immune system, this volume broadens its scope to encompass (i) human glycoscience across multiple systems of the human body—most notably the nervous system, influencing both physiological processes like neuronal axon generation and pathological conditions like Alzheimer's disease, (ii) microbial glycoscience, and (iii) environmental glycoscience. 

Moreover, significant attention is given to the current and emerging (iv) applications of glycoscience in biotechnology and chemical technology.

Comprised of 36 chapters and authored by 89 internationally recognized experts in addition to one author, who worked on the proofs of his late mother, this book provides a wide-ranging and in-depth exploration of glycan biosynthesis and structure, extending to their functional significance in various human biological systems and microbial physiology. It offers detailed insights into complex biological interactions—not only cell–cell recognition and communication, but also the dynamic relationships between host and microbe, human and food or pollen, and even cross-reactivities between foods and pollens. This book highlights modern biotechnology and chemical innovation in glycan-based and glycan-binding protein (lectin)-based syntheses and applications of glycans and lectins in detection, diagnosis, prevention, and therapy of physiological and pathogenic diseases. Cutting-edge examples of glycan- and lectin-based strategies in vaccine development and biomedical research are also thoroughly presented.

Enriched with numerous explanatory illustrations and extensively referenced with foundational and recent literatures, this work constitutes a valuable resource for students, early-career scientists, researchers, clinicians, and specialists engaged in the life sciences and medicine.

Dr. Albert M. Wu obtained his Ph.D degree with W. Pigman, who is one of the pioneers in glycoproteins, at New York Medical College; and had his postdoctoral training at E.A. Kabat’s Lab for quantitative immunochemistry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York. He joined as a faculty position at Texas A&M University in 1982; promoted as a full professor at Chang-Gung University since 1989; and as Emeritus Professor after 2011. Dr. Wu published over 120 glycoprotein and polyvalent glycotopes related papers. He is the chief editor for three volumes of Molecular Immunology of COMPLEX Carbohydrates 1 to 3 in Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 228, 451, 705 (Springer Publisher). His major interests are (i) Glycan purification and characterization; (ii) recognition factors of glycans; (iii) combining sites of lectins and antibodies. He received many Outstanding Research Awards from government agents in Taiwan and U.S.A.

Alessandro Prinetti received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1997 from the University of Milan, Italy under the guidance of Professor Guido Tettamanti, and the laboratory of S. Hakomori at the Dept. of Pathobiology, Pacific Northwest Research Institute, University of Washington (Seattle, WA, USA). In 1997-98 he was Senior Fellow at the Department of Pathobiology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA under the supervision of late Professor Sen-itiroh Hakomori. He is currently Full Professor of Biochemistry at the Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Milan.

In the early years of his scientific activity, he contributed to elucidate glycosphingolipid metabolic pathways in the nervous system, and in particular to define the metabolic mechanisms responsible for the generation of bioactive sphingolipids. Later on, he contributed to define the concept of lipid rafts. In particular, his research highlighted the importance of sphingolipids in modulating the generation of signals at the plasma membrane by either determining the dynamic properties of specialized membrane signaling platforms, or affecting the activity of plasma membrane signaling complexes via specific sphingolipid-protein interactions. His achievements shed a new light on the role of sphingolipids in the physiopathology of nervous system and in tumor cell biology. In particular, he studied sphingolipid patterns, metabolism and function related to neuronal differentiation and neurodegeneration, myelin formation and repair, neoplastic transformation, tumor cell adhesion and invasiveness. His current main research projects deal with the role of sphingolipids in myelin formation and repair of damaged myelin. He is actively involved in the activities of international scientific societies, has been the President of the European Society for Neurochemistry (2015-17) and is currently Treasurer of the International Society for Neurochemistry (2021-25).

Nongluk Sriwilaijaroen received her B.Sc. degree in 1996 in Biotechnology, and her M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in 1999 and in 2004, respectively, in Biochemistry from Mahidol University. In 2002-2003, she was a visiting research student at the Medical Research Service, Department of Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, Portland, Oregon, USA. Currently, she is an associate professor in the Department of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University. In 2007-2010, she was a postdoctoral fellow under the direction of Prof. Dr. Yasuo Suzuki in College of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, Japan. In 2010-2019, she was a visiting researcher and a visiting professor in Chubu University, Japan. Since 2020, she has been a visiting researcher in the University of Shizuoka, Japan. She was a member of The Japanese Society of Carbohydrate Research and The Japanese Society of Pathology. Her research of interests includes biochemical and molecular biology of sialoside-recognizing viruses and their host cells in particular of adaptation and evolution of receptor-binding spike glycoproteins and receptor-destroying spike enzymes, and discovery and development of drugs against sialoside-recognizing viruses.

Yasuo Suzuki received his Ph.D. in 1974 from Department of Biochemistry, Shizuoka College of Pharmacy under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Makoto Matsumoto. He continued his work as a research associate and contributed works in the structures and functions of the complex lipids, especially sialoglycosphingolipids, and sialoglycoproteins in cell membranes. He found “new ganglioside molecules carrying different molecular species of sialic acid, which bind to human influenza viruses” and published it as his first influenza work in J. Biol. Chem. in 1985. He then developed a new scientific field, “glycovirology”. In 1989-2006, he was a full professor at University of Shizuoka School of Pharmaceutical Sciences. In 1996-2002, he was a dean of graduate school and school of pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Shizuoka. In 2006, he moved to Chubu University as a full professor. In 2008-2013, he became a director of Institute of Life and Health Science Hills of Chubu university. In 2013-2021, he was a visiting professor at Chubu University. In addition to being a professor emeritus of the University of Shizuoka since 2003, he has become a visiting professor at the University of Shizuoka since 2020. His work focuses on sialoglycovirology and antiviral drug discovery. He received The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan Award 2004 and Chunichi Cultural Award 2004. He served the international grant reviewer for “Top grants earth and life sciences”, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, Netherlands (2012).