10172608Smart synthetic monosaccharides to edit immunity and fibrosisClosedFast Start ResponseInnovate UKMost proteins in the human body are coated with complex sugar chains known as glycans. These sugars play a crucial role in regulating how our immune system works and how tissue repair (wound healing) occurs. However, in many diseases, including cancer, fibrosis and neurodegeneration, these glycans drive abnormal processes. Despite their importance, glycans remain very difficult to target with current treatments. Existing approaches such as antibodies or enzymes often fail because: * The dense tissue environment (especially in fibrotic diseases like cancer) prevents large drugs from reaching their targets * It is hard to develop antibodies that can recognise specific glycans * Enzymes used to break down glycans have a short half life so are cleared quickly Glyconix is developing a new class of therapies based on synthetic custom-designed monosaccharides. Because of their small size, these sugars penetrate tissues more easily. Once inside cells, they hijack glycan-processing pathways that are especially active in certain diseases. Their specific chemical modifications mean that disease-associated glycans are no longer produced. As sugars themselves, these molecules can be designed to act against virtually any glycan. This approach offers a novel, flexible and targeted way to treat immune and fibrotic diseases that current therapies can't reach.