Blocking Disease Linked Lectins with Multivalent Carbohydrates

Abstract

Lectins play important roles in the development of disease. Mediating the adhesion of bacterial or viral pathogens or bacterial toxins is an example. Blocking these interactions may be a useful approach for intervention with these disease‐causing processes. Most of these lectins carry multiple carbohydrate binding sites. This provides an added handle to create highly potent and specific compounds for intervention. Depending on the organization of the binding sites, different molecular designs are needed for optimal inhibition. This chapter explores a number of solutions for a series of medically important lectin targets.