How sugars on epithelial cells influence infection and disease
Function and regulation of epithelial glycosylation
Researchers are building chemical tools to find how sugar decorations on cell surfaces change cell interactions and contribute to infections like cholera and to some cancer-related processes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ut Southwestern Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Dallas, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11089440 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The team makes special photocrosslinking sugar-like molecules that get incorporated into cell-surface glycoconjugates and glue those sugars to their binding partners so interactions can be captured in their natural context. Over the next five years they will synthesize additional probes, develop better ways to install them into different glycoconjugates, and map which proteins and molecules bind these sugars. Using these tools they will identify the specific fucosylated sugar structures that cholera toxin can attach to and test how those interactions help the toxin enter and harm host cells. The work is laboratory-based with collaborations experienced in cholera disease mechanisms and may guide future patient-focused research.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People affected by cholera or patients with cancers linked to abnormal cell-surface sugars would be the most likely future beneficiaries or candidates for follow-up studies.
Not a fit: Patients seeking immediate clinical treatment are unlikely to benefit directly because this is basic laboratory research rather than a clinical trial.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal targets to block cholera toxin binding or identify sugar-based markers relevant to some cancers, guiding new prevention or treatment approaches later on.
How similar studies have performed: The investigators have previously created and used photocrosslinking sugar probes to uncover glycan interactions, but extending these tools to map cholera toxin's fucosylated receptors and broadening their use is a newer direction.
Where this research is happening
Dallas, United States
- Ut Southwestern Medical Center — Dallas, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kohler, Jennifer J — Ut Southwestern Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Kohler, Jennifer J
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.